I felt the need to comment on some of the pediatric issues surrounding the advent of the novel coronavirus in our country and state.
This is an issue that is distressing to everyone: Parents are suddenly working from home or out of a job; schools have closed their doors and children are learning from home; stores are closed except for the grocery and pharmacy; and all extracurricular activities are canceled. This creates many stresses and also many joys for families as they transition to this “new normal.”
First and most, all families have become home school families. I hear that some have reached out to their home school neighbors for advice on how to keep education moving forward for their children. Teachers are still figuring out how to teach remotely and children are out of their usual schedules, making it difficult for them to settle and focus on school work. Throw in the fact that many parents are working from home and it gets very complicated.
Here are some helpful hints
1) Make sure children with ADHD take their medication at their usual time.
2) Keep a schedule of getting up as you usually would and setting children down to do school at their regular time.
3) Make an area of the house your office and another area the classroom.
4) Keep regular exercise and outdoor time in the schedule.
5) Make meals a scheduled event rather than something done “on the fly.”
These ideas will help everyone settle into a schedule at home that will lead to efficiency in both work and school work. Some parents may even consider doing some of their work at different hours, such as when the children are in bed.
Now that children’s activities are canceled, this may actually be a time to explore new activities as a family. You can still go outside to hike and bike as long as you maintain social distance from others.
Perhaps you always wanted to start a garden or take up a new craft. This could be the time.
In some ways this forced slowing down could help family members get to really know each other again. Too much of our time is spent running from one activity to another that we lose things such as family dinners. Maybe sitting down to dinner will actually get your teen to start conversing with you again. One thing to watch out for is overdoing the online time especially as much of their school work will be online until further notice.
As for medical care, your doctor’s office is still here for you. The Academy of Pediatrics has been very helpful in giving us advice on how to safely care for your children during the pandemic.
For example, most pediatricians are handling well-child visits only for those under the age of 2 to cut back on the number of patients in the practices at one time. Children under the age of 2 still need routine vaccines as all the old diseases and illnesses haven’t disappeared.
Also, most practices are seeing well children in the morning and the sick children only in the afternoon. Other precautions such as having you wait in your car until called into the appointment decreases the exposure to others.
We also have been given the go ahead to do telehealth visits so that you don’t have to come into the office. While we can’t check for an ear infection or pneumonia, we can look at a rash via video link and help you with behavioral issues or anxiety and ADHD.
So, go ahead and call and we’ll see what we can do to help you with any concerns you may have at this time.
Meanwhile, what is the best thing you can do to stay safe? Wash your hands, of course! Also keep surfaces clean and disinfected, refrain from touching your face and socially distance 6 feet from others.
Until we get back to our usual way of life, look at this slow time as a way to reconnect in you family. Have a movie night or two or three, go for a walk or hike, plant a garden, do some yoga, learn a new skill and have those family dinners you’ve always been wishing you had time for (learn some new recipes too). Mainly stay safe and stay at home and life will eventually go back to normal. This too shall pass.
(Dr. Patricia Edwards of Bow is a pediatrician and president of Concord Pediatrics in Concord.)