March 03, 2009
When Your Child Needs Hospitalization: Parents Play a Key Role in Treatment and Recovery
SIOUX FALLS (March 1, 2009) - When a child is sick, lots of TLC is just as important as cough syrup or antibiotics. That's especially true for children facing a chronic or serious illness, surgery or hospitalization.
"Parents are always the key person in a child's life, whether it's an illness or a soccer game," said Twila Perkinson, Child Life Specialist at Avera Children's Hospital in Sioux Falls.
Parents are often the first ones to notice a change in their child's health, and bring it to a physician's attention for diagnosis. Parents are the ones who will stay by their child's side day and night after surgery, and encourage those first few steps or first few bites of food during recovery.
If a child needs surgery or hospitalization, how much to say beforehand depends on your child's age and need to know. "School age children and adolescents will have more questions than toddlers. It's very important to be honest in answering their questions, in order to maintain your child's trust," Perkinson said. "If you as the parent don't know the answer, don't try to guess. Seek clarification from your doctor, and always provide the best information to your child that you can."
Even if it's just a visit to the doctor's office for routine immunizations or a school physical, it's still important to explain what's going to happen. "A truthful explanation is always important, no matter what the age of your child," Perkinson said.
Parents themselves might be nervous about needles, IVs or just being in the hospital, and children can easily pick up on that. The best thing to do is put on a brave face, and provide positive reinforcement as a partner alongside health professionals in your child's care.
"Say something like, 'this is not my favorite either, and I know this is difficult for you, but we're going to work through it together.'" Help children realize that doctors and nurses are friends who want to help, Perkinson said. Make sure children know that hospitalization or the treatment they're receiving is not punishment for bad behavior.
A pre-admission tour of the hospital can be very helpful in easing fears, she said. "Children are very concrete learners. They like to know what it's going to look like, smell like, sound like. They want to take it all in - that's how they learn about their world."
As a child life specialist in the hospital setting, Perkinson works with kids who are sick or recovering on a daily basis. "Children typically handle illness and hospitalization relatively well. They try to do what it takes to get back to their normal lifestyle. They're very resilient. They can have surgery and be up and walking within a few hours. We as adults usually take a little longer."
Dr. Stephen Karl, pediatric surgeon at Avera McKennan, said it's unusual for children to need surgery. Yet his caseload involves children ranging in age from neonates to teenagers, doing all types of procedures, such as repairing congenital abnormalities or removing abnormal growths.
"There's watch-making, and there's clock-making," Dr. Karl said, comparing pediatric to adult surgery. "And the watch needs to work for 90 or 100 years, versus a few decades," Dr. Karl said. Pediatric surgery must also be done in order to allow for and foster healthy growth and development.
The physical process of healing and recovery is surprisingly similar between adults and children. "Wound healing has its own clock, and it's basically the same regardless of age," Dr. Karl said. Yet children seem to go through it more quickly, he said. "Children want to be well. They don't dwell on their difficulties. They dwell on their opportunities."
For more information go to www.AveraChildrens.org.
