Wa are supporting psychological counselling for parents

The Competence Centre for Rare Diseases was opened on 5 November 2021 as a part of the genetics department of Tartu University Hospital. The Children’s Foundation funded the launch of the centre. We are also supporting the activities of the social work consultant at the centre, whose task is to help the person affected by the rare disease (or their family) to find the best way to cope with everyday life, which includes help with communicating with various authorities. As coping with rare diseases can be emotionally very challenging for the families, with the help of our kind donors we are also supporting the provision of psychological care for the parents and other family members of the children affected by rare diseases.

In addition, thanks to our kind donors we are also supporting the provision of psychological counselling for young people aged 25 or below who have been diagnosed with a rare disease.

Since 2021, the Children’s Foundation is also supporting psychological counselling for families raising a child who needs medical food and for whom it is difficult to cope with all the stress caused by the child’s illness. The parent taking care of the seriously ill child often needs to provide them constant 24-hour care which is tiring and can lead to burnout. Providing psychological counselling can provide a basis for better coping for both the parents and the children who need medical foods and that is needed to help the parents accept the child’s illness.