 | | | | Related Healthscout Videos | |
|
Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 Receiving information was also important, especially for kids aged 8 to 11, who have a need for "carefully sequenced" information about their parent's condition. Without adequate information, one 11-year-old boy felt that his father was mad at him. Once the situation was explained to him, he no longer believed this to be the case.
The importance of "incremental information" was brought home by the experience of children who lost parents in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. Because they had no warning, they were completely overwhelmed by the unexpectedness of the event.
The authors had several recommendations for helping children of all ages during a parent's terminal illness, including planning visits during long hospitalizations; viewing communication as a process with proper "dosing" of information, rather than a one-time event; and allowing children and adolescents to experience their grief intermittently.
Text Continues Below
"There are a lot of kids who lose mom or dad," Metzler said. "At one level, it's hell, but this also says that there's a lot of resilience and, therefore, given the right kind of mediation, we can really help children."
More information
To learn more, head to the Dougy Center for Grieving Children and Families (www.dougy.org ).
Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3
|
.gif)
