Most parents are fortunate enough to go through their years of parenting with only healthy children. But what about those who have to take care of a child who has special needs? “Special needs” in this context refers to any child who is in challenging circumstances, whether due to being born with a physical disability, being left with terrible injuries after an accident or terror attack, or having to deal with a severe illness.
Suddenly, your home is not necessarily the safe, relaxed place that your child needs. You may have to either move houses or adapt the home that you already have. These changes can be a challenge for the rest of the family. Your other children may not understand why their sibling is getting all this attention, and even if they have no problem with it, you may find that it is all taking up far too much of your time.
In terms of your actual home, let’s take a look at some of the material changes that may occur in your immediate environment:
Perhaps your child cannot cope with stairs anymore, so you have to set up their bedroom on the ground floor and make sure that there is a bathroom and toilet either immediately adjoining or at least on the same story.
If the child needs overnight care, you may also have to create an extra bedroom for the carer.
Depending on your child’s limitations, you may have to adapt the bathroom. The toilet bowl may need to have handles fitted or to have its height adjusted to suit your child’s new needs. The bath itself may also need handles, once you have learned how to bathe your child in these new, difficult circumstances, or a special lift to lower your child in and out of the bath.
Measure your door frames. If your child now has to use a wheelchair, you may have to adjust the widths to make sure that they come and go with ease. Check your area rugs. Do they have backing tape to keep them straight? A dog-eared oval rug can cause a lot of problems, for example, so it is vitally important to make sure that it is flat.
If you do need to make significant changes to your home, look into your various funding options. Depending on the reason for your child’s sudden disability, can you make an insurance claim? Does your family life insurance plan also cover disability for your children? What about the social services? Are you eligible for government grants? Find out if there are any welfare organizations in your area that might help you.
Dealing with a child’s disability, whether sudden or gradual, can be extremely difficult emotionally and can put a lot of strain on your marriage and your home life. For this reason, it is wise to get plenty of therapy at the same time to be able to deal with the challenges that you will face and to give you the strength to make the necessary changes.
Of course, we hope that this column, while helpful, will be unnecessary for most of our readers and that you can continue raising your families in good health.
