Children who are medically complex often require a lot of treatment at home. Below are some tips to manage medical needs in the home.

Medication

Storage
Store medication in a convenient location out of reach of children and pets

If you child has a lot of medications, you can categorize them in separate bins to make finding the medication you need easy.

We suggest the following categories:

  • Daily Prescriptions
  • Refrigerated Medication – Keep together on one shelf in the refrigerator
  • PRN (as needed)
  • Rescue Meds – Medication that may be needed in an emergency such as seizure, storming, or allergy medication should be in a very easy to find location. Consider a bright colored bin or pouch.
  • Respiratory – You may decide to keep medication for breathing treatments in a separate location

Schedule
The most important part of your set up should include a visible schedule. The schedule is even more important if more than one person will be handling the medication to prevent missed or over dosing medication. Always double check the prescription bottle and the schedule to make sure you are giving the correct medication and dose. Children who are medically complex tend to have frequent changes to medications. Frequent changes paired with busy schedules, sleep deprivation, and habitual routines can cause dangerous errors when preparing medication. No matter how many times you give medication throughout the day, It’s always best to take a moment to double check that you are giving the correct medication.

Administration Set Up
In addition to the medication schedule, we suggest having the following in your set up, depending on your child’s needs:

  • Oral syringes
  • Medicine cups
  • Pill crusher
  • Feeding tube extensions

Refills
Stay on top of refills by marking a calendar or white board near your medication set up. You can also participate in courtesy refills if your pharmacy offers that. Many liquid medications are specially compounded and take several days notice for the pharmacy to fill. Be sure to give them plenty of time to fill the prescription and reach out to your doctor if necessary. Not all pharmacies are capable of filling compound medications. Hospital pharmacies and some local pharmacies tend to be able to accommodate compound medications. Always double check your medications before leaving the pharmacy

Treatments and Equipment

If your child receives medical treatments throughout the day, a good set up for equipment is crucial. Keep track of daily medical treatments by adding them to the medication schedule.

Setting Up a Positive Experience
Have a comfortable set up for your child during their treatments to keep it as positive of an experience for them as possible.

Some ideas to consider:

  • Talk to your child about each step and give them a warning before doing each step. A simple count down before turning machines on can help prepare them for the unexpected.
  • Try to do daily interventions at about the same time everyday (if the prescription allows) to help build routine. Even the least responsive children can benefit from routine.
  • Keep their favorite blanket or stuffed animal nearby.
  • Read or sing to them.
  • Use a sturdy tablet holder to allow them to watch their favorite show at any angle.
  • Play music.
  • Use dim lighting if possible.

Supply Storage
Consider keeping a small bookshelf dedicated to medical supplies with clear labels for different categories such as Feeding, Respiratory, Hygiene, Gauze, etc. If you have room, have an overflow area for extra supplies so the shelf doesn’t get too crowded making it difficult to find items you need. Keep items such as syringes out of reach of children.

Equipment Use and Storage
Keep a three tiered rolling cart similar to this for things your child uses throughout the day in various settings such as their ventilator, nebulizer, pulse ox, suction, chucks, gauze, diapers, wipes, etc. The cart will help make transporting items from room to room more efficient. For larger equipment, have a dedicated space to store it when not in use to minimize the risk of damage. Use velcro cord ties to keep the cords organized.

Maintenance
Most equipment needs to be cleaned on a regular basis. Keep a schedule of what needs to be cleaned based on manufacturing guidelines. Extra pieces may need to be ordered on a regular basis for some equipment. You can keep track of that using the same method you use for medication. Keep a list of DMEs and phone numbers for each piece of equipment in an accessible space to order supplies or contact in case of equipment malfunction.

Safety
Keep children and pets away from machines and equipment. Beware of plugging too many machines in to one outlet at a time as this can trip the circuit and also be a fire hazard. Unplug equipment when not in use. If your child’s life relies on equipment that plugs in, have a plan for power outages.