Childcare After an Accident

Members of a family who serve as caregivers of a loved one after an accident often feel overwhelmed and frustrated. Anyone with experience in care-giving knows that the needs of others always seem to supersede your own. When this accident victim is a child, the burdens become heavier. What may already be an arduous task is now exacerbated by the emotional trauma of childcare for an injured child.

Helping a Child Cope

Providing childcare after an accident is complex. Accidents can not only inflict physical injuries upon a child that range from mild to serious, and temporary to long-term, but they can cause emotional trauma as well. In addition to coping with the accident memories, children are often exposed to unpleasant and unfamiliar aspects of medical care such as needles, surgery, catheters and hospitalization. They may also be forced to cope with ongoing health problems and rehabilitation, or the death of someone else involved in the accident.

It is not surprising that accidents can have emotional and psychological consequences for children, and that the resulting efforts to provide adequate childcare after an accident taxes caregivers to the breaking point. Children react differently after an accident; every child and every accident is different. Most may cope well, while others may require more time to adjust.

Caring for the One Giving Childcare

Over time, the complex and ongoing childcare can cause anguish over the loved one’s suffering, loss of abilities, and need for long-term or complex care. In addition to financial concerns, many caregivers wonder if life will ever return to “normal” after an accident. Or if, in fact, the family will be forced to adjust to a new “normal.” Who cares for the caregiver? Providing for the physical, emotional and psychological needs of those providing daily care is an important part of the overall care plan after an accident.

The instructions of a flight attendant are good advice for caregivers. When giving the preflight safety lecture, the flight attendant will always instruct passengers to first put on their own oxygen mask, then help small children or others around them. Caring for yourself first enables you to adequately care for others. Burning out caring for others makes you miserable and of no use to those who need you most.

If you are caring for a child or family member what was involved in an accident in Tulsa, McAlester or eastern Oklahoma, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the caring and professional personal injury attorneys of Edwards and Patterson Law. We offer free case evaluations and you pay no fees unless you are awarded monetary remuneration. Contact us online or call 877-403-8417 to schedule a consultation.