This post was sponsored by Walgreens Cystic Fibrosis Services as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received compensation as a thank you for my post.
If you’ve never seen or cared for a child with CF (Cystic Fibrosis) it can be hard to witness at times and extremely challenging. Setting up a good support system and creating routines for your family and the child effected are paramount and have helped our family a great deal when it comes to our child with CF. If you’re new to caring for someone with CF, I have a few tips for you that we’ve discovered through lots of trial and error, happy moments and sad, but that have led us to lead a balanced and happy life for our kiddo.
1 – Make sure to give emotional support
Finding out your loved one has CF, especially when they are a child is an incredibly hard process for a parent. Being able to inform your child as they get older about the life-long disease they will carry with them is even harder, so creating a large emotional support system for not just your child but yourself as well is very important. There’s nothing like receiving hope, love and care from people you trust and love to be around and the more supported the care giver is, the better support they can provide for their child
2 – Learn all you can about CF care and way of life
Knowledge is an amazing power and when it comes to CF, there’s nothing better for a care giver to dive themselves into than knowing all they can about how to care for their child and the way of life they will be looking towards. There are many amazing resources that doctors and specialists as well as support groups can provide. The Walgreens Cystic Fibrosis Services (CFS) Homepage is an amazing resource and one that can offer a lot for new and seasoned CF caregivers.
3 – Don’t expose your family to illness
This is a major one! People with CF are highly prone to getting sick due to the over abundance of mucus in their lungs. It’s a wonderful breading ground for bacteria so any exposure to illnesses, even a simple cold can make them very sick and land them in the hospital for weeks. It can be hard at times, but keeping a child away from illness is a must. Inform their teachers, school and friends and families about their condition and to please not allow them around other sick children or adults.
4 – Treat your child like any other
Having a life-long disease isn’t any easy thing to cope with and feeling different as a kid is especially hard. Making sure you treat your child as much like a normal kid as possible is imperative. They will have enough on their plate as it is and will surely have to deal with other kids questions or taunts regarding their treatments or why they may not be able to play that day. Just be sure to show your child that they can have just as much fun other kids and let them lead the way without being overly careful.
5 – Revise your CF care as your child grows
As kids get older so do their views on things and how they handle situations. Revising your care regime for your child as they grow is an important part of care for you and them. Letting them take the wheel on their treatments and giving them more responsibility as they grow is a great way to let them feel as if they are in control of their CF. No tween wants to feel like they are being babied or treated like they were 6, so giving them the ability to administer certain medications and go through their daily schedule themselves will help them feel more independent and give you a sense of confidence.
Whether your new to CF or a seasoned care giver, these tips are sure to help! Don’t forget to check out the the Walgreens Cystic Fibrosis Services (CFS) Homepage, it’s a wonderful resource!
Leave a Reply