Helping your child while you’re in hospital

Supporting children when their parent has a Spinal Cord Injury

When someone in the family suffers a spinal cord injury it can be an enormous shock for everyone that is hard to adjust to. 

• • It can be even harder to sort out your own feelings when there are children in the family to think about. 
  • Children, just like other family members, are affected by your injury and the changes this brings. 
  • Most children cope well with the situation and it is unlikely to cause them problems in the long term. 
  • In fact, coping with difficult situations often brings out the best in children and can have a positive effect on their overall development.
  • However, often children need your help and support in order to adjust effectively.

Your child probably already knows something about your injury and the fact that you are in hospital. 

• • You may still feel unsure about what to tell them and how to explain things to them. 
  • It is probably very difficult for you and your child to be apart unexpectedly and for such a long time. 
  • You may have concerns about your child’s visits to see you in hospital or about having physical contact with your child. 
  • You may have thoughts about whether your injury will affect the activities that you are able to do with your child.

We hope this section will help you to think about some of these issues. 

• • The information is based on what we know from research findings about the impact on children.
  • It also includes ideas suggested by other parents who have experienced a spinal cord injury.