Children in Recovery
Donations go directly to providing toys for children in pediatric care, with the goal of improving their stay at the hospital and lessening the trauma inflicted by the illness they suffer. Research has shown that long term hospitalization at a young age, along with high hospital costs, can have a significant effect on the child's mental health.
Below are three of the biggest reasons for why a child may require a long-term stay in a pediatric hospital in the United States. Along with informing the public on how they can help children with chronic illnesses, we hope to help educate parents and family members so they may better understand the significance of pediatric care.
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION is provided by Kimberly leonard at HEALTH.USNEWS.COM and photos from istockphoto.com.
Respiratory disorders
"Asthma, pneumonia and bronchitis are the top lung diseases that send kids to the ER, Greene says. Asthma, in particular, is the No. 1 chronic disease in children, causing wheezing, coughing and tightness in the chest. It can be controlled by taking oral medications or breathing through an inhaler. Children with asthma need to avoid triggers that cause an attack, including cigarette smoke, dust mites, air pollution, mold, cockroach allergen or pets, according to the CDC.
[Dr. Ricky Choi, a pediatrician in Oakland, California,] says families should develop an action plan with their pediatrician to control asthma and prevent ER visits, which can become expensive and result in long waits for treatment." - Kimberly Leonard, Staff Writer U.S. News
Physical injury
"Injuries include car accidents, falling or being struck, [Pediatrician Paul Fu] says. For infants, injuries related to highchairs continue to rise, U.S. News reported last year, resulting in more than 9,400 trips to the ER each year.
But during the past decade, poisonings have increased at a higher rate than other causes of injury death, according to the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. Dr. Ricky Choi says cleaning solutions kept in the cabinet below the sink are often a concern and should be contained with child safety locks. Medications, even children's Tylenol or adult medication to treat diabetes, can be a threat to a child's life and should be kept away from children, he says." - Kimberly Leonard, Staff Writer U.S. News
Research has demonstrated that in addition to the children suffering injury, the parents of critical injured children may endure negative psychological effects as a result of trauma and parental blame attribution (i.e., experiencing feelings of guilt for the harm caused to their child).
Nervous system disorders
"Child ER visits for sports-related brain injuries, like concussions, have doubled in the last decade, U.S. News Reported last year. The issue has gotten so severe that President Barack Obama recently announced that he wants to help educate the public about it.
A concussion is a shaking or jolt to the brain that disrupts its normal function. A child with a concussion will appear dazed, listless and irritable, and he or she may cry, experience unsteady walking or experience a change in eating and sleeping habits, Alan Greene, a pediatrician in Palo Alto, California, said in a Twitter chat with U.S. News.
Other nervous system disorders that send kids to the hospital include complications like seizures from epilepsy, which cause a child to spasm and collapse. Febrile seizures can also occur in infants during a fever reaching 102 degrees, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention." - Kimberly Leonard, Staff Writer U.S. News