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THURSDAY, July 27 (HealthDay News) -- The death of a parent is one of the most stressful events a child can face.
But an honest word, a smile, and time spent together with a sick mom or dad can help kids get through, experts say.
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With proper education and preparation, things can be done to mitigate the damage, conclude the authors of a review of the data on the issue.
The article provides an update on current approaches to helping children in three different age groups: ages 3 to 5, 6 to 8, and 9 to 11. In particular, the article stressed including the children in the dying process, as was appropriate for the age.
"This is certainly consistent with the hospice approach which sees that the patient is not simply the person with the terminal illness but the patient is the family," said the Reverend Paul A. Metzler, director of public education and community bereavement services for Hospice Care/Visiting Nurse Service of New York. "If there are school-age children at home, they need to be included, responded to, supported and provided age-appropriate information so that they too can emotionally prepare."
"The natural protective inclination is to scoot the kids away and what this article says is scoot them in wisely and judiciously," he continued. "Keep the kids in the circle. As hard as it is, it's better for them to be part of it."
The article appears in the July/August edition of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. The review was coauthored by Grace H. Christ, of Columbia University and Dr. Adolph E. Christ, of the State University of New York (SUNY) Health Sciences Center, both in New York City.
The article includes the voices of children who went through this wrenching experience. One child, upon hearing of his father's death, said, "I was surprised, but I knew it was going to happen because my mother kept me informed."
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