ABSTRACT
Parents of children with medical complexities (CMCs) report significant challenges affecting their financial, emotional and social well-being in relation to caring for their child's medical needs. The Complex Care Navigator Program was designed to provide social, emotional and economic support to parents of CMCs. This paper describes the results and outcomes of the program and the challenges experienced during the evaluation process. Overall, results suggest that the program had a positive impact on the parents' psychosocial functioning and social connections. The results demonstrate the importance of providing early screening, psychosocial intervention and peer support.
Subject(s)
Love , Parents , Child , Humans , Parents/psychologyABSTRACT
Families of children with medical complexity (CMC) face significant challenges beyond those related to caring for their child's medical condition. Parents of CMC report a variety of concerns impacting their social, emotional and financial well-being. This paper details how CHEO, community organizations and parents co-designed and evaluated the Navigator Program. Through system navigation, peer support and knowledge navigation, the program offers emotional, social and economic support for parents struggling to keep up with the demands of having CMC. A best practices toolkit also provides resources to help others better support these unique families locally, provincially and nationally.
