May 21, 2021
If your child has been in the hospital or diagnosed with a chronic illness, they may need additional care at home. Learning how to take care of your child at home can feel overwhelming. It not only involves taking care of their medical needs, but also learning how to help your child cope with their emotional needs, and balancing family dynamics that are likely to change.
Below, we address some of the most common questions parents come across when caring for a child at home.
What Kind of Equipment Do I Need?
Sometimes children who have received hospital care need to continue intensive care at home. Some of the equipment your child may need may be used to:
- Monitor your child’s vital signs (heart rate, body temperature, breathing rate, etc.)
- Help your child breath
- Deliver medication to your child
- Provide nutrition
- Provide oxygen
When a child is transferred from hospital care to home care, a social worker may be able to help you with the transition and find a nurse for home care. Ask your hospital if there is a social worker on staff who can help you. If you’re not sure what equipment your child may need at home, ask a nurse — the nurse can either explain what you need, or direct you to someone who can.
How Do I Find Out Whether My Insurance Covers Medical Equipment for Home Care?
Many insurance plans offer coverage for medically necessary equipment, called durable medical equipment (DME). To understand if your insurance plan covers durable medical equipment for home care, call your insurance provider.
If your family does not have health insurance, New York State offers health insurance for uninsured children, called New York Child Health Plus (CHIP). To learn more, visit New York State’s official CHIP website.
What if I Need Time Off to Take Care of My Child?
Residents of New York who need to take time off work to care for a child or family member are entitled to paid leave. Some people may be eligible for up to 12 weeks of paid family leave. To learn more, visit the New York State’s Family Care website.
Many parents may feel pushback from their employers if they need to take time off for a chronically ill child. You should know that in addition to protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) also protects parents and guardians of children with a chronic illness or disability from losing their jobs if they need to miss work in order to care for their child. The ADA also protects you from “retaliation” by your employer, which in legal terms means that it’s illegal for your employer to “punish” you for missing work by changing your shifts, reducing your hours, or demoting you.
Know When to Ask for Help
Parenting a child with a chronic illness requires a lot of time and dedication. New medical technologies now allow children with complex chronic illnesses to receive care from home, which means that parents may need to learn how to administer medications and, in some cases, how to operate medical equipment. Hiring a nurse for home health care can help your family manage the new challenges that come with a chronic illness diagnosis.
Insurance often covers home care services. If you’d like to know whether your child qualifies for home care services, contact us online or call us at 866.860.2528 – our administrative staff can communicate with your insurance company and other organizations to find coverage for your child.
JSP Home Care Services is a New York City-based agency dedicated to the personalized and compassionate care of children diagnosed with a chronic illness. We not only help children properly manage their diagnosis, but we also help families manage the stress and overwhelm that comes with caring for a child with a chronic illness. JSP Home Care Services’ English/Spanish bilingual administrative staff and nurses are here for you. To learn more about home care services for your child in New York City, contact us online or call us at 866.860.2528.
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