Creating A Safe Space for Children Using Home Medical Equipment
When a child is sick – be it a chronic illness or a serious injury – one of the most important things that can be done is to try and maintain a feeling of normality. This often comes in the form of integrating treatments into existing routine, in a familiar environment. While the nature of the illness or injury does not always make this a possibility, the increase in availability of home medical equipment (also known as durable medical equipment) has made it easier.
The Challenges of HME in the Home
That’s not to say there aren’t still a number of barriers facing families who rely on HME/DME to care for their children. One of those barriers is travel – Presidential hopeful Donald Trump was in the news for providing his private jet to a family after they had been turned away by major airlines that could not accommodate their son’s medical equipment on the flight. For families who are dealing with a child’s illness – having the ability to travel to receive treatments as needed is paramount.
Just look at the popularity of temporary residences like Ronald McDonald Houses – which house families from outside the immediate area while their children are receiving treatments at the nearest hospital. With over 320 Ronald McDonald Houses in 57 countries across the world, there is no doubt that, despite advances in technology, families continue to rely on travel when it comes to caring for their children. Major airlines should be recognizing the importance of accommodating the transport of medical equipment for children who need it
Another barrier families face is accessibility. Medical equipment can be costly and take years to accumulate all of the equipment required to maintain a sense of independence and comfort. For families who lose that equipment in an unexpected or disastrous way, the results can be devastating. Take the Lawson family, who lost over $25,000 worth of medical equipment as a result of the Baltimore riots. Crowdfunding campaigns on sites like GoFundMe have risen in popularity as a way for families to seek support in times of great need, but there is no doubt that the cost and accessibility of medical equipment in the home remains a burden on families today.
The New Normal: Medical Equipment in the Home
With that said, access to medical equipment in the home can be a blessing for parents trying to maintain a sense a normality within the family unit – especially when there are siblings in the picture. One of the biggest challenges a family can face is how to redefine roles and responsibilities in the wake of a long-term hospitalization – who stays at home, who goes to work, who takes care of the other children or pets – it can be a difficult series of choices that pulls parents apart rather than bringing them together.
Home medical equipment, and homecare in general, is an ideal alternative that allows families to integrate their child’s healthcare needs into existing routines, maintain the core family unit, and provide an environment that is both nurturing and comfortable for both the child and the parents.
As technology continues to advance rapidly, there are more options than ever available to parents who wish to explore options for home medical equipment. What was once an industry limited to diabetes insulin pumps and oxygen tanks now includes capacity for lift systems, dialysis machines, specialized beds, and a countless number of monitors and measurement tools that help reduce a parent’s interaction with medical staff to situations where it is necessary. Families are more able than ever before to build flexibility into their schedules and achieve some sense of balance when it comes to caring for their sick children.
It is also important to recognize that giving more families access to at-home treatments not only benefits those patients, but also reduces stress on the system as a whole. The more children who are able to be treated using HME solution at home, the more space there is in our already crowded hospitals for children who are facing the life-threatening illnesses and injuries that simply cannot be addressed by equipment in the home.
There is absolutely no doubt that children struggling with illness and their families rely heavily on home medical equipment as a way of ensuring their children have access to the treatment they need – even when they are away from the hospital. Recent advances in HME have not only allowed these products to rest assured that their child will be safe, but have also given parents a golden opportunity to reclaim some of the time, energy and freedom that is all too often stripped away from families when they have to endure a prolonged hospitalization.
Giving these families an opportunity to stay together and strengthen their family unit rather than being pulled apart by distance or external responsibilities is the one of the most underestimated and valuable roles that HME plays. Having HME in the household not only keeps families at home, but also keeps them together.
After all, there really is no place like home.
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