If you have recently learned that your child has a chronic illness, finding ways to cope with it and adjust your lifestyle may not be easy. While the impact on lifestyle can vary from family to family depending on the severity or type of chronic illness, the reality is that it is never easy for anyone.
While the challenges will never indeed cease, you can find ways to help accommodate your child and make your own life as a parent and caretaker more manageable, which is why seeking guidance and help is so important. If you are new to parenting a child with a chronic illness, here are some tips to help you and your child cope.
Maintain Open Communication
It is hard to overstate how important open communication is, not just between you and your child, but with everyone who is part of your life and regularly interacts with your family. Whether that is your doctor and health care providers, teachers, or the parents of your child’s friends, being open and honest will help you and others to meet your child’s needs and ensure there is no confusion or difficulties in the future.
While that does not necessarily mean you have to be open with everyone, it is necessary to identify the people who play a role in your child’s life and include them in important conversations.
Work Closely With Others
Similarly to maintaining open communication, working closely with others is vital for ensuring everyone can meet your child’s needs as necessary. That can mean continuing to work closely with their teachers to find ways to make your child’s school life as manageable as possible and otherwise working with anyone else involved in your child’s day-to-day activities. The key is to actively stay connected with everyone involved in your child’s life so they don’t feel alone.
Take Breaks
Being a caretaker for someone else can be exhausting, especially when that person is living with a chronic illness. To care for them, you also need to care for yourself, which is why taking periodic breaks is just as important as what you do to care for your loved one. Whether it is asking a family member or friend to help you out from time to time, finding times when you can relax and have some time to yourself is important to your overall well-being and ability to continue caring for your child.
Be Consistent
Having some semblance of organization and routine can make a challenging lifestyle more manageable. Whether that is maintaining a weekly schedule or establishing limits and behavioral expectations, the key is setting a system for consistency that you and your child can rely on and live by. The more predictable your day is, the easier it becomes to manage the responsibilities you have.
Enlist Help
Finally, it is important to realize that you do not have to do everything on your own. Ask your family and friends for support or help with anything you may need, whether it is asking for rides or help shopping for groceries. If you begin feeling overwhelmed by it all, look for ways to ease some of the burdens by turning to people you can trust.
In the case of transportation, for various reasons, you may not always have access to a vehicle. That is when services like Non-Emergency Medical Transportation can help by providing rides for you and your child whenever necessary with the comfort of knowing you are under the care of drivers with medical expertise.
Take Advantage Of Stellar Transport’s NEMT Services
Stellar Transport offers NEMT services for patients with physical impairments or medical needs that inhibit them from traveling in regular vehicles or via public transportation. To learn more about our services, speak with a team member today.