Care For You
Take care of yourself first.
- Make sure not to miss opportunities for sleep, rest and nourishment.
- Call on friends or relatives who are willing to provide you with needed breaks, a shower, a coffee, a nap or laundry.
- Understand your own feelings about illness and hospitalization. You might be feeling very sad or anxious. It’s normal for patients, and families to experience these feelings after a difficult diagnosis, so try to be patient and accepting of your own and everyone else's feelings.
- Identify your support systems, and ask how they can help you. Never be afraid to ask for help.
- Be familiar with the opening and closing times for all available food sources or stores in the hospital.
Care For Siblings
- Brothers and sisters of your sick child have their own emotional needs. Siblings can feel left out, helpless, afraid and angry. When possible, it's important for parents to check in with their other children and create some one-on-one time to focus completely on them.
- Sibling’s feelings should be addressed and validated. It is helpful to allow siblings to make choices about who they are going to stay with, and what they are going to eat, etc.
- When you can, try to carve out a family fun time when no one discusses medical issues. This can be as simple as a family dinner, game night or a day out.
- It’s also important to keep siblings in the loop with brief weekly or nightly updates adapted to the developmental and emotional needs of each sibling.
- The Child Life Team can help you to frame and deliver information for your children at home that is truthful, but in ways that can calm and soothe worried minds.