Family-centered care continued
hospital, Chaplain Tomlinson often is
called in when a child has been in a serious
accident and the family is facing a crisis.
Such emergency room cases bring
immediate anxiety to parents. “You have an
instant where you have a child who’s well,
feeling normal, and the next instant you
have a child whom you don’t know whether
he or she will live,” Chaplain Tomlinson
says. “The needs in the trauma situation are
very evident, they’re very easy to discern,
generally, so you can go straight to work
with the family and help them feel calm
and connected.” Such situations are
harrowing for parents, and the pediatric
team knows that calming the parents’ fears
will improve the child’s chances of recovery.
“Our first and most important ally is
the parent,” Ms. Upchurch says. “That’s
the person children trust most to help
them through any stressful situation. So if
their parent is distressed, they in turn will
be distressed.”
Ms. Harkins agrees that parents play a
vital role in their child’s care. “We’re
making sure parents are well cared for and
well supported so that they can meet the
needs of their children at time of discharge
or throughout the inpatient stay,” she says.
Helping siblings through
the process too
Siblings also will feel anxious when a
brother or sister is seriously ill or injured.
Their emotions can be complex. They
may feel guilty that they aren’t the one in
the hospital, or jealous that their sibling
has become the center of attention.
“Siblings are an essential part of our care
20
THE CATALYST Fall 10 | sw.org
Family-centered care services help children cope with illness, and give families
much-needed support.
for families,” Ms. Upchurch says. “The
child life team will work with them to
help them understand what’s going on
and their role.” Siblings are allowed in
the playrooms because specialists here
recognize that the best play therapist is
often a brother or sister.”
“Allowing families to take an active role
in patient care can relieve anxieties,” says
Dr. Boyd. “Many times by involving the
families in certain aspects of a child’s care
while they’re in the hospital, they don’t feel
so helpless.”
An internal team approach
From nursing and social work to pastoral
care and child life