4.1: Why Children May Need Home Care
Children may face a number of situations in which home care is helpful to provide temporary care to recover from a medical illness or injury, or even long-term care if the child has a chronic illness or disability. Children who have sustained wounds, burns, or injury from a trauma such as a motor vehicle or sporting accident may benefit from receiving home care services. The child may need special medical care to treat wounds, perform dressing changes and to receive medications such as i ntravenous (IV) antibiotics (medications that are administered through a catheter into a vein). The child is able to receive the medical attention they need within their own home, while also reducing the financial burden on parents. Hospitalizations are very expensive.
Children who are mentally or physically disabled will also benefit from services provided by a home health care team. Just as in caring for an adult with a disability, children with mental or physical disabilities can receive care from a team of physicians, nurses, social workers, respiratory therapists, nutritionists, and a home health aide/personal care aide. By receiving home care services, the child may remain in the comfort of their own home, surrounded by the people and things they love, while also receiving necessary medical care and assistance with their activities of daily living (ADLs). Home care services for children with disabilities allows them to live as normal a life as possible with their family rather than living in a long-term care facility.
Children can have chronic illnesses just as adults do.
Children may face a number of situations in which home care is helpful to provide temporary care to recover from a medical illness or injury, or even long-term care if the child has a chronic illness or disability. Children who have sustained wounds, burns, or injury from a trauma such as a motor vehicle or sporting accident may benefit from receiving home care services. The child may need special medical care to treat wounds, perform dressing changes and to receive medications such as intravenous (IV) antibiotics (medications that are administered through a catheter into a vein). The child is able to receive the medical attention they need within their own home, while also reducing the financial burden on parents. Hospitalizations are very expensive.
Children who are mentally or physically disabled will also benefit from services provided by a home health care team. Just as in caring for an adult with a disability, children with mental or physical disabilities can receive care from a team of physicians, nurses, social workers, respiratory therapists, nutritionists, and a home health aide/personal care aide. By receiving home care services, the child may remain in the comfort of their own home, surrounded by the people and things they love, while also receiving necessary medical care and assistance with their activities of daily living (ADLs). Home care services for children with disabilities allows them to live as normal a life as possible with their family rather than living in a long-term care facility.
Children can have chronic illnesses just as adults do. Muscular dystrophy is a progressive disease in which there is a gradual wasting away of muscle. Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder which affects motor development. Children with these disorders have difficulty with using their muscles and may need assistance with self-care such as feeding, toileting, and bathing. Children who have suffered from a head or spinal cord injury that has caused permanent brain damage and/or loss of function may also need assistance with self-care. A person with paraplegia (inability to use the lower part of the body) or quadriplegia (inability to use both the upper and lower body) is not able to fully care for themselves. Children also suffer from chronic health conditions such as diabetes, heart disorders, respiratory disorders such as cystic fibrosis and various types of cancer, such as leukemia . Vision and hearing disorders also affect children. Congenital disorders such as Down‘s Syndrome , a genetic disorder that can result in cognitive and physical disabilities, may also affect children. Receiving home care services allows the child to receive the medical attention they need within their own home so they may be close to family and what is familiar to them. It also helps to reduce costs of hospitalizations and long-term care facilities.
Home care services may also be used to help families who have recently given birth to a child who is premature (born before they are fully mature in the womb), or who has a physical disability due to a birth defect . Mothers and fathers may be overwhelmed by the care the new baby needs and may benefit from a Home Health Aide/Personal Care Aide providing them assistance as they adjust to the care of their newborn. A new parent may need assistance with providing care for the baby such as feeding, bathing, and diapering. They may also need assistance with providing self-care to the new mother, and with basic household tasks such as laundry, cleaning, meal planning, preparation, and shopping.
Premature babies are babies who are born before 37 weeks of gestation (Leahy, Fuzy & Grafe, 2013). These babies are born too early and are not yet fully developed. Premature babies may need special care once they are released from the hospital. Special attention must be paid to helping these babies meet their nutritional needs, monitoring intake and output, weight gain and vital signs to ensure they develop in the way they should. Sometimes, mothers who have not yet given birth may be put on bed rest to prevent complications of pregnancy. They may benefit from assistance from a home health aide/personal care aide in meeting their self-care needs and in preparing for the coming baby.
When a child has suffered from the death of a parent, they may also benefit from receiving home care services. The remaining parent or family members may be overwhelmed emotionally and unable to meet the physical and emotional needs of the child. Home Health Aides/Personal Care Aides can provide housekeeping, meal planning and preparation, and completion of activities of daily living assistance for children and families in these types of situations. Finally, there are situations in which children face domestic violence, abuse, neglect, or substance abuse by a parent within the home. The home health care team can assist the child with meeting his or her physical and emotional needs, while monitoring the safety of the child within the home, and providing care for the entire family.
Children with______________ may benefit from home health care. Select all that apply.
- Cancer
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Heart disorders
- Birth defects
- Cerebral palsy
- Chronic illnesses
- Physical disabilities
- Down’s Syndrome
- Cognitive disabilities
- Hearing impairments
- Respiratory illnesses
- Burns
- Wounds
- Asthma
- Diabetes
- Vision impairments
- Head injury
- Answer
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If you selected all of the answer choices, you are correct. Children may have many different disorders, disabilities, illnesses and injuries. Children who have any of these issues may benefit from home care services.