Helping those on ventilation
At Chestnut Tree House, we care for lots of children and young people whose lives are supported and maintained by ventilation. Living with a ventilator changes a child or young person’s daily life, as well as their family’s. This week, I caught up with Hannah, our ventilation nurse specialist, who supports families in accessing the care and support they need to help them live with a ventilator.
One of my first questions was, ‘what is a ventilator?’ In short, ventilators are breathing machines that help keep your lungs working. If a child/young person has long-term ventilation, it means that they use a ventilator or mask to aid their breathing for some, or all, of the day. Some of the children we care for have a tracheostomy tube – a tube that is inserted into the windpipe, and a ventilator which they use all the time. There are many different reasons as to why a child or young person may need this kind of support, and it can result in complex medical needs for the child, requiring a high level of care and supervision by family members.
Living with a ventilator can require 24/7 care, and parents and carers often become experts in their child’s medical needs. Daily life changes when a child has a ventilator because of the high level of supervision required and the large amount of equipment. It can make accessing various activities, such as swimming and playing in the park, more challenging. However, at Chestnut Tree House, we work hard to make all these activities as accessible as possible. A big part of our role is ensuring that families don’t feel alone and have access to the support they need. That might mean regular visits to their homes, a short break at the hospice, or help navigating doctors and hospital appointments.
Results from St Barnabas Hospice’s lottery draw 891 – January 28:
Lottery no: From:
First £1,000 393249 Chichester Second £250 245308 Chichester Third £100 412123 Ferring
£10 winners: 437594 789677 815575 505069 102712 517439 506580 908694 417733 939507
£5 winners: 338342 112845 472506 620392 726953 225448 171222 573661 484724 785400