There's No Place Like Home When It Comes to the Care Your Child Deserves

Caring for a chronically ill child is one of the most difficult challenges a parent will face. Managing your child’s physical demands and medical demands while balancing a busy schedule at home can be exhausting and draining, especially if you’re trying to do it all from a hospital room for weeks at a time. Fortunately, children experiencing medically complex conditions have another option besides extended hospital stays. However, many parents are unaware that the same level of care provided to their child inside a hospital can also be provided in the comfort of their own home.
 
What Is Pediatric Home Healthcare?
Pediatric home healthcare is often recommended for children that have serious and complex medical conditions. A variety of clinical and therapeutic treatments may be offered to a child in a place where they are comfortable, which is most often their own home. This allows the child to recover from an illness or injury while remaining in familiar surroundings and with immediate access to their loved ones.

What Conditions Can be Treated with Pediatric Home Healthcare?
There are many different conditions a pediatric home healthcare team may be well equipped to handle in your home. These include, but are not limited to: 

• Respiratory disorders
• Cardiovascular disorders
• Chronic diseases
• Infectious diseases
• Genetic disorders
• Neurological disorders
• Renal disorders
• Gastrointestinal disorders
• Blood disorders
• Dermatological disorders
• Orthopedic disorders
• Pediatric oncology 
• Premature neonatal care

What Happens During a Pediatric Home Health Visit?
At the request of your child’s physician, a qualified pediatric home healthcare team will be assigned to oversee your child’s care while they remain at home. During the initial visit, your child will undergo a detailed assessment and a member of your care team will explain services your child’s physician requested. In some cases, your child could have regularly scheduled visits with multiple practitioners throughout the week. Your care team could include a mix of home health nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists, along with other licensed medical professionals.

What Are the Benefits of Pediatric Home Healthcare? 
Perhaps the biggest benefit of pediatric home healthcare is that when children have access to the specialized services offered in-home, they’re typically able to experience shorter and less frequent hospital stays. Another advantage is that all the care is performed in your home, and your care team will coordinate all your visits around your family’s schedule.
 
A few other benefits of pediatric home healthcare include:

• One-on-one personalized care by compassionate and licensed professionals that take the time to get to know your child and your family
• Increased level of comfort for children who may be afraid of medical environments
• The oversight of experienced medical professionals who are trained to provide a range of high-level clinical care while your family remains comfortably at home 
• Access to medical professionals who communicate with your child’s physician regularly and can address any medical issues before they become a serious problem

The Difference Is Home
Studies show that children with access to home healthcare tend to have shorter stays in the hospital. Additionally, children that recover in familiar surroundings tend to have an increased positive mood. The ultimate goal of pediatric home healthcare is to ensure children living with medical complexities have the resources they need to live life to the fullest. Think of it as a high-quality continuum of care that doesn’t stop when you leave the hospital. When you come home from the hospital, your pediatric care team does, too.  

Learn More About our Pediatric Care.