Family Resources

Having a medical procedure can be stressful for children, caregivers and siblings, especially the first time. Preparing children for what to expect during a procedure, admission or surgery will help: 

• Reduce anxiety
• Develop trust in caregivers and the hospital staff
• Identify what may be difficult and develop coping methods
• Give a sense of control over what will happen 

Hemby Preparation Guides

Hemby facility guides

• Operating room guide (PDF)
• Pediatric unit guide (PDF)
• Pediatric emergency room guide (PDF) 

Hemby radiology procedure guides 

• Colon enema guide (PDF)
• CT scan guide (PDF)
• CT scan with anesthesia guide (PDF)
• Interventional radiology (IR) guide (PDF)
• Modified barium swallow (MBS) guide (PDF)
• MRI guide (PDF)
• MRI with anesthesia guide (PDF)
• PET body scan guide (PDF)
• PET brain scan guide (PDF)
• Ultrasound guide (PDF)
• Upper gastrointestinal tract (GI) guide (PDF)
• VCUG guide (PDF)
• X-ray guide (PDF) 

During a hospital stay, children may need help to understand why they are separated from their families. Medical procedures that are designed to help them can seem scary. Often children feel as if they have done something wrong. Learning about procedures and discussing them in a safe environment can make healthcare less frightening. 

Child life specialists introduce children to medical play to help them understand procedures and why they need them. Our specialists may use dolls or medical equipment during play to help younger patients become familiar with the hospital environment. Medical play can allow children to gain a sense of control over their medical experience. Medical play also can help clear up misconceptions and relieve anxiety for the child. 

A visit to an emergency room or a stay in a hospital can create feelings of uncertainty. A child needs to feel safe and comforted during medical tests and when meeting new people, learning about an illness or injury, and receiving medical treatment. One of the most important ways to help your child cope is to explain the diagnosis or illness using simple words and concepts. 
 
During this initial busy time, it can be difficult to find the words to explain all that is happening. Child life specialists can help provide clear, simple and nonthreatening information. 
 
Explaining a diagnosis using language your child can understand often will prevent him or her from imagining something worse. Children who understand their diagnosis generally cope better with treatment and make positive adjustments. Children also may accept new responsibilities with more ease once they understand the reasons behind it. Some children may prefer to avoid talking about an illness. However, they may still worry and have questions. Avoiding the subject can make it worse. Using appropriate words will encourage your child to feel comfortable asking questions about an illness or treatment plan. This is a great opportunity to clear up common misconceptions for your child. Take time to address these concerns. 

• Misconceptions may arise based on a child’s ability to understand the difference between reality and fantasy. Children often imagine circumstances are worse than they are.
• Children might wonder if they did something to cause their illness, or if it is a punishment for something they did that they perceive to be wrong. Assure your child that he or she did not cause the illness.
• Children often worry that they can give the illness to someone else. If the illness is not contagious, be sure to explain what causes the disease or illness. 

Having age-appropriate conversations

Here are some pointers for explaining an illness, based on a child’s age and developmental level. Remember, child life specialists are available to help with this process. 

Toddler

Since the vocabulary of toddlers is limited, use words they can identify with. Toddlers are just learning their body parts. If they have an injury, you can point to the area or use the name of that body part. If the illness is in the blood, which may be unfamiliar, explain that you need to take your child to the hospital for medicine that can make him or her feel better. It is appropriate to use or teach words adults use. 

Preschooler 

Children at this age can start to learn about parts of the body, how we use them and why we need them. It is appropriate to start using the names of illnesses, medications and treatments. 

Early school age

At this age, children are interested in details about how their bodies work. Appropriate terms and discussions about misconceptions are important. 

School age 

Many children are learning that our bodies are made up of cells. Continue to utilize appropriate terms, clarify misconceptions and provide details about the illness and treatment plan. 

Teens

Include your child in medical discussions with doctors and caregivers. It is important to have open conversations and follow-up discussions about the illness and treatment plan. 

A daily routine helps children set expectations and gives them reassurance about what is to come. An interruption in that routine can be disturbing, depending on how significant those changes are. Coping skills make small and larger changes easier. To cope is to successfully manage a difficult or challenging situation or set of events. The way a child copes in the hospital can be affected by: 

• Age
• Past medical experiences
• Family support
• Understanding of diagnosis and hospitalization
• Level of development
• Other stressors 

Common reactions for children in difficult situations

• Anger and aggression: Frustration may be directed at family members and others unexpectedly when a child feels they have no control over a situation.
• Crying: a natural emotional release
• Denial: disbelief and shock that an event is happening
• Escape: focuses on a specific activity to avoid a stressful situation or pretends the conditions do not exist
• Information seeking: asks to know more about a situation in order to process and understand
• Play: can be used as a release and distraction. Some children talk about feelings or re-enact real-life situations through play.
• Rebellion: reasserting independence in order to gain some control
• Regression: returning to old routines or behaviors
• Selective silence: choosing not to talk
• Submission: becoming passive or withdrawn 

A child's illness affects the entire family. Siblings may become upset about a long separation from parents or other caregivers. They may be uncomfortable with visits to a hospital or changes in routines at home. Siblings may behave differently under these circumstances. Each sibling’s response to stress is unique, but each needs understanding and reassurance. Changes in behavior usually are temporary and should resolve as the family establishes a new routine. 
 
Brothers and sisters often have unspoken questions and fears when a family member is first diagnosed. For example, they may not understand the diagnosis or why your child cannot come home. Siblings commonly wonder if they or your child might have done something wrong to cause an illness. They also may worry that they could catch the illness and wonder who will care for them in your absence. Talk about these concerns with your children, and answer their questions in honest, simple language. This will help you maintain their trust and keep the lines of communication open. 
 
Siblings who spend little or no time at the hospital might imagine circumstances that are quite different from what is really happening. When possible, encourage brothers and sisters to visit the hospital. Child life specialists can meet with siblings to prepare them for some of the new things they will see. For siblings who are unable to visit, child life specialists can assist caregivers in making family members part of the hospital experience. Our specialists can give caregivers materials to send home, such as books, current audio and video recordings, photos, medical play dolls and personalized letters to explain the patient’s diagnosis. 
 
Here are suggestions for offering support to siblings: 

• Talk honestly about the child’s illness, using words siblings understand.
• Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know” as an answer to their questions.
• Show your own feelings. This lets them know feelings do not have to be hidden and you can trust and talk to one another.
• Demonstrate positive coping skills.
• Ask how they are feeling. Listen and validate their feelings.
• Exchange letters, photos, phone calls or videos that show what the patient and caregivers are doing while away from home.
• Stay aware of important activities and events in the siblings’ lives while you and your child are away.
• Positively recognize the siblings for taking on a responsibility or making a sacrifice for the benefit of the family.
• Let siblings know who will be taking care of them while you are away.
• Talk to the siblings’ school teachers or counselors so they are aware of the hospitalization.
• Plan times to do something special for or with the siblings. 

When visiting the Elizabeth area, you’ll have options for activities to spend time outside of the hospital with the siblings of patients. Here are a few options: 

• Independence Park: This 19-acre public park has areas for walking plus a rose garden and pond.
• Travel by streetcar: Stops for the CityLynx Gold Line are located just outside Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center. From there, you can walk or connect to the Lynx Blue Line for a short trip to these destinations:
• ImaginOn: A youth destination in the heart of uptown Charlotte, this collaborative effort between the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and Children’s Theatre of Charlotte is a 102,000-square-foot facility recently ranked by Livability.com as the No. 1 children’s library in the United States.
• Discovery Place Science: Charlotte’s premier science and technology museum is a worthwhile visit for all ages in uptown Charlotte.