The Role Siblings Play in Pediatric Home Care

Brothers and sisters play a fundamental role in the lives of their medically fragile siblings. As a Pediatric Home Care Nurse, it’s essential to support them as well as your patients to provide the highest quality home care.  

Sibling Relationships Impact Child Development

Siblings can help children understand the world around them socially, emotionally, morally, and cognitively. In a 2023 study by the Department of Education and Centre for Research in Human Development at Concordia University, Canada, results showed that “siblings can understand their other siblings’ minds and emotions through interactions like teasing, shared humor, pretend play, conflict resolution, teaching, prosocial behavior, and conversations.” Siblings can also be of support to parents when additional help is needed. 

What Does This Mean for Medically Fragile Children? 

Brothers and sisters can have a huge role in caring for their medically fragile siblings. They can offer physical and emotional support, whether helping their sibling with their daily routine like getting dressed, or providing comfort in times of sadness or stress.

Emotions Siblings Might Feel

Siblings of medically fragile children can often face glass-child syndrome. This is not a medical condition but rather an informal term used to describe the challenges and unique strengths of siblings of children with chronic illnesses or disabilities. They can experience a range of complex emotions including but not limited to the following:

• Confusion about what is happening with their sibling
• Anger toward their brother or sister for getting sick and its impact on their family dynamics
• Guilt for being healthy while their sibling is sick 
• Fear that their brother or sister won’t get better
• Jealousy over the attention their sibling is receiving from their parents and relatives 

How Pediatric Home Care Nurses Can Help Siblings

Educating the Siblings about Their Brother or Sister’s Condition

As you provide one-on-one care for your patient, explain each step of your process to the sibling. Describe what you are doing when you check the brother or sister’s vitals, administer their daily medication, and provide other medical-related services. 

Validate Their Feelings

Siblings of medically fragile children can often carry a lot of emotional weight due to the pressures their families have. In most cases, they won’t always share their personal struggles with family if they are anxious or sad. Show them you are a strong support system who will help in times of need by listening to their concerns and offering guidance. 

Involve Them in Activities 

When you are playing with your medically fragile patient, why not include their sibling? When you let them join in activities like drawing, listening to music, storytelling, or playing a board game, you’re making them feel valued.

Siblings play a big role in the lives of medically fragile children. Here at Thrive SPC, we support patients, their parents, and siblings by being there for the worst days, the best days, and all the many memorable moments and milestones in between. Apply for the chance to work with us by heading to https://www.thrivespc.com/careers/.