For most children, summertime means school’s out! And no school means kids can enjoy all summer has to offer like hanging out with friends, going to the pool and the beach, taking family vacations, etc. – it’s a time to have some independence, freedom, and fun!
But for kids with complex medical needs, summer may not look like that.
Many of children live permanently in long-term nursing facilities because their parents don’t have the means to keep them cared for at home. These facilities try their best to maintain a semblance of ‘normal’, but what’s normal about growing up in an institution away from your home?
It doesn’t have to be this way.
This is where home care comes in. Home care gives children, adults, and elderly populations the independence to live in their own homes and be skillfully cared for by home care nurses and aides. For children especially, growing up surrounded by their families and friends, exploring the world around them, and becoming contributing members of society, home care is freedom.
But home care only exists when state and federal governments invest properly in its programs to ensure there is a robust workforce to care for these individuals. This is where advocacy comes in!
Check out medically fragile child Leena who is making the most of her summer thanks to home care nurses who keep her healthy and happy, enjoying life to its fullest!
Leena Stull- Pennsylvania
In 2019, Leena came into this world prematurely at 27 weeks, weighing only 1lb 9oz. Her tiny lungs were so severely underdeveloped that she needed significant ventilator support to stay alive, followed by multiple surgeries. Leena spent her first 9 months in the hospital.
But finally, after months of waiting for enough home care coverage to bring her home, the Stull Family welcomed Leena into their home with the support of a home care nursing team.
Home nursing has made a major, positive impact on Leena and on her family. It has allowed Leena to grow up at home and thrive. It’s also allowed her parents to continue working send her to school – neither would be possible without their in-home nursing team.
Just recently, Leena and her family took a trip to the beach – their first ever family vacation because of the skilled care from her home care nurses! Leena got to experience the ocean, play in the sand and the pool, and simply act like a normal 5-year-old!
Leena’s success story is a testament to what’s possible when children have access to proper nursing care at home. Every child deserves the chance to lead a normal life, surrounded by the love and familiarity of home.
