Helping Children to Cope With a Hospital Stay: Children and Hospitalization Awareness

Would your children be able to cope with a hospital stay?  In an unexpected emergency or on a long-term basis, children and parents often have to cope with the unexpected, but life goes on, even when children are in the hospital. For example, hospitalized children may miss school, sometimes a lot of school hours. Depending on their age, this can be of serious concern to them, their parents and teachers.  

      

The article, “Educational services for hospitalized children” addresses concerns like the “loss of school days” and “education” when children are hospitalized.

Helping children to cope with hospital stays of various lengths, is something that all parents have to deal with at one time or another. Consider the following guidelines that can help children cope with a possible hospitalization.

Talk openly to your children about your local hospital.

Children are curious by nature and want to know about hospitals, including their local hospitals. Discuss possible reasons why children have to spend time in the hospital with them. Depending upon the age of your children, they may understand more than you realize, but still want your confirmation in case of possible hospitalization with respect to illness or injury.

Educate your children about hospitals in general.

Use children’s books with pictures of children in hospitals or various kinds of hospital settings to teach your children about hospitals, hospital nursing care, hospital procedures, etc. There may be children's videos or other children’s literature available in your doctor’s office, school or local library. Interactive role-playing with respect to daily events of hospitalized children, will allow them to see the reality of what to expect should they be have to spend time in the hospital.

Encourage them to be supportive of local hospital projects related to children. 

Teach your children that hospitals are child-friendly places, where health and healing are the major focus of health care professionals, including doctors and nurses. Avoid focusing on anything negative about hospitals, hospital nursing care or tragic scenarios involving children.

Visit the local hospital with your children.

Visiting the hospital, particularly the children's ward, on a special occasion like Halloween or Valentine’s Day, will help children to become accustomed to hospital settings. They will see that hospitalized children still have fun. A children's school tour including a visit to an Emergency department, can help to familiarize them with that setting, just in case they are injured.   

Discuss parental and family visiting guidelines with your children.

It is important to let children know that regardless of the situation when hospitalized, they are not going to be alone. Most hospitals have pediatric units where parents come and go freely and visiting their hospitalized children is not a problem. Exceptions are possible, even in unique situations like major illnesses, surgery, isolation for infection control, etc.

Encourage children to discuss their questions, fears and concerns regarding hospitalization. 

Parental compassion, care and love help children feel secure regardless of where they are. Even in difficult hospital situations, children should expect to receive love and excellent care. At the same time, they may need and want to know about x-ray machines, intravenous therapy, traction, etc.

Discuss what they want to talk about on a level that they can comprehend.     

Being honest with children about hospital stays is important, but it is equally important for parents to know that their children will be able to cope with hospitalization, at any time or for any reason.