Helping families mobilize their personal resources

With changes in delivery of and payment for health care, hospital stays may be shorter and children may be going home sooner and sicker. Therefore, more care may be required at home. Even with access to a variety of services and resources in the community, families of medically fragile or chronically ill children can be overwhelmed and stressed. Relief can be provided to some degree if families creatively mobilize their own personal resources. However, for a variety of reasons, families may find it difficult to do this. While nurses and other health care professionals are accustomed to helping families find professional services and resources in the community, they can also be invaluable before discharge by assisting families with their personal resources--from giving encouragement and motivation to outlining practical planning steps. Pediatric nurses can use guidelines and a checklist to assist families with mobilizing their resources to ease the transition from hospital to home for the whole family.