Hospice / Respite Bear Cottage

Located in Manly on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Bear Cottage is a warm and home-like environment providing respite, end-of-life care and symptom management for children with life-limiting conditions and their families.

Children’s hospices seek to enhance the quality of life for children with life-limiting illness by providing support, comfort and reassurance to families at their time of greatest need.  At Bear Cottage, we believe that a child’s life, however brief, should be enriched, enjoyed and celebrated.

Bear Cottage is set up to provide excellent paediatric palliative care 24 hours a day during a child’s stay, with access to some of the best medical resources in the world. Children with a life limiting illness are able to stay at Bear Cottage with or without their parents/carers and siblings as needed. Nurses are available to provide medical assistance, administer medications and offer support and guidance around the clock to patients and their families.

Bear Cottage is a home away from home, allowing families including siblings to forget about the stresses of everyday life. As part of the holistic care provided to children at Bear Cottage, full-time child life therapists and volunteers work with children to engage them in play, music and art therapy. This service not only creates a space for children to relax but also allows parents to recuperate and spend time with one another.

There is no cost for families to stay at Bear Cottage.

For more information about our services and facilities, please visit our website on https://bearcottage.schn.health.nsw.gov.au/or telephone 9976 8300.