Transitions Kids | Pediatric Hospice & Palliative Care

Transitions Kids (TK) offers palliative and hospice care to children and families impacted by illness or loss. A referral to TK doesn’t automatically mean that someone is dying–a common fear for many families. TK offers a wide range of support designed to meet the needs of families throughout their journey with serious illness. The care that we provide can be tailored to meet the unique needs of each patient and family, and our team will work with you to identify which level of care will be most appropriate for your family.

We offer perinatal services for children with a potentially life-threatening diagnosis all the way up to age 18. We occasionally take patients older than 18 on a case-by-case basis.

Transitions Kids began in 2015, but our organization–Transitions LifeCare–was founded as Hospice of Wake County in 1979.

Some families receive periodic check-in phone calls, others have monthly visits to provide ongoing symptom management or care coordination, and others receive a higher level of support through hospice care when their child is in the last six months of life.

TK offers a variety of expert direct care and support services in Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Harnett, Johnston, Orange, and Wake counties. While we are unable to do home visits outside of this service area, we may be able to provide palliative care and bereavement support via telehealth.

Yes! TK is a team of sub-specialists with a focus on quality of life. Our services are designed to enhance, not replace, the care that you are already receiving. One of the benefits of TK is the ability to provide coordination among the multiple specialists many of our families see. As an independent agency, we work collaboratively with the local hospitals and specialty clinics. This often allows for more seamless care, better communication between families and providers, and improved symptom management.

Yes! Under palliative care, there are no restrictions. Under hospice care, with the Affordable Care Act’s Concurrent Care for Children Requirement, curative treatment and hospice care can be offered together. Before activating your hospice insurance benefit, the Kids Team will consult with your insurance provider to ensure that no services will be interrupted.

While some TK services (physician visits and hospice care) may be billed through insurance companies, the majority of the services we provide are not billable. We are primarily funded by generous philanthropic support which allows TK to provide care regardless of your insurance status or ability to pay.

Yes! Nurses with TK do not provide hourly nursing. In most cases, both services can be provided at the same time as they are not considered a duplication of service. Many of our patients have private duty nurses, and we work collaboratively with their companies. Before activating your hospice insurance benefit, the Kids Team will consult with your insurance provider to ensure that no services will be interrupted.

Yes! There is a TK nurse available to all patients by phone or video 24/7. Access to in-person after-hours visits is dependent on the level of care provided by the Kids Team. Children receiving hospice services have a nurse available for visits 24/7.

Most patients receive care in their home. When a patient is hospitalized, the Kids Team continues to provide support for the patient and family but is not involved in direct medical care. For families where home or hospital may not be the best option, patients receiving hospice care may have the option to transfer to our Hospice Home (inpatient hospice facility) for end-of-life care.

Patients are discharged when a family determines that the services are no longer needed or moves out of North Carolina. Bereavement services are provided indefinitely to families following the death of a child.