chronically ill children

Chronic illness is a great health problem that faces many people at any age as even children can suffer such a serious health problem. Chronic illness can be defined as an illness that lasts over than three months and it affects the person's health and abilities to do the daily life activities. A chronic disease can reduce the individual's ability to engage in the society as a result of the social stigma patients and their families suffer as the people may bother them with their questions about the patient's health condition. A chronic illness can affect children as well as grown up people but when there is a child with a chronic illness, the family suffers more as they feel disappointed about their ambitions and wishing for that child in having a healthy future. Examples for chronic illnesses are diabetes mellitus, kidney disease, cancer and heart diseases. A child who has chronic illness is in need for more care than an adult with a chronic illness because he isn't aware enough with his or her condition and can't live a normal life and practice the daily activities other children do. Chronic illness can lead to different problems to the family that has a chronically ill child as there is a negative impact of it on all family members who suffer feelings of despair and hopelessness and they may suffer different problems related with costs of their child's treatment.    

A chronically ill child suffers long periods of staying at the hospital and this may lead the child to be retarded educationally due to the frequent absence from school and the lesson missed after long periods of hospitalization. Some researchers think that being a chronically ill child can be a chance for the child to be independent and understand life early but the chronic illness is still a severe experience on any child and family.

There is an important role for nurses to help chronically ill children as nurses can communicate with them to help them understand their condition and the medical procedures associating it and they can help children during the painful experiences associating treatment and make them easy for the children by talking with them, smiling and being friendly and passionate with them. Nurses can also help the family of the chronically ill child by explaining the difficult medical terms relevant to the disease and the case to them and educating them about how to deal with the child at home and during hospitalization in addition in their role in reducing the stress and anxiety they feel and improve their psychological stat.

Chronically ill children need intensive care from their families, schools, hospitals and nurses who should simplify the difficult medical procedures the children are object to and help the children cope with the diseases.