A child has just been diagnosed with a life changing illness or injury. You may feel scared, shocked, and question how this will affect your family. How will you deal?
CopingSpace is here to help.
A child has just been diagnosed with a life changing illness or injury. You may feel scared, shocked, and question how this will affect your family. How will you deal?
CopingSpace is here to help.
A child has just been diagnosed with a life changing illness or injury. You may feel scared, shocked, and question how this will affect your family. How will you deal?
CopingSpace is here to help.
Thank you for visiting CopingSpace.
At Case for Smiles, everything we do is designed to walk alongside families as they cope with the trauma of childhood illness or injury. We understand this is a difficult time, and CopingSpace provides a variety of resources to assist both children and their families in dealing with the stresses of this experience.
To ensure the highest quality care, we have partnered with PTSD experts at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children to create valuable web-based information and tools designed for each member of the family’s unique experience.
You may have reached our site at the suggestion of hospital staff to help you navigate your child’s illness or injury, and care for yourself and family. Or perhaps you simply want to know how best to help a family you know whose child has been diagnosed with a life-changing illness or injury. Whether you are a caregiver, community member or school employee – CopingSpace has resources for you.
What to Expect
In the hours, days and even months after a child’s diagnosis or injury, you and your family will likely find that you do not feel “like yourselves”. You may ask: Why is this happening? What can I do?
Age Matters
Depending on a child’s age, you may notice different types of reactions to an illness or injury. Fortunately there are ways you can enhance their ability to cope and help them build resilience to thrive in the future.
Resilience
Throughout the healthcare journey you may hear a lot of people refer to a child as resilient. But what exactly is resilience? And how can you help your entire family, and yourself, develop more?
Help for Parents
No one expects a life-changing illness or injuries to happen. And when it’s your child, it’s normal to feel upset, worried, or alone. Take time to deal with your own needs and feelings. It will be harder to help your child if you do not take care of yourself.
Caregiver Worksheet
Throughout your child’s healthcare journey, your family will meet a lot of people. You may find it helpful to make a list of all of the healthcare professionals who are involved in your child’s care. Download this worksheet to help keep track of it all.