Our Services

Recovery From Hospitalization - Parents

After discharge from the hospital, both you and your child will need recovery time. Normal routines have been upset for the entire family. Just as it took time to get ready to go to the hospital, it will take time at home to recover.

Being home from the hospital requires some adjustment for everyone, and the recovery process will be different for each child and family.

When your child is discharged from the hospital, you will need time to talk about what happened and quiet time to collect yourself. Do things to help get back to a normal routine. Don’t expect too much too soon. Take the time you need.

The following chart outlines some phases you, as parents, may experience.

	Discharge From Hospital
Parents’ Interaction With:	Phase 1	Phase 2	Phase 3
Child	Spending extra time with child Allowing clinging/regressive behavior	Allowing some special privileges Needing signals from child that he is okay	Normal family routine
Spouse/ Partner	Talking about hospitalization Sharing feelings	Special time alone with spouse/partner Assessing impact of hospital expenses	Normal spouse/partner relationship Feeling safe and settled Planning resolution of uncovered hospital expenses
Friends/ Relatives	Help from special friends/relatives Making some phone calls	Needing less help from others Visiting	Normal socializing
Jobs/ Community	Calls to hospital for reassurance Altered work schedule	Resuming normal community activities/relationships/work responsibilities	Feeling unthreatened, comfortable with routine Heart Institute visits Resuming all normal adult activities