Dealing With Parents

Sorry for the late post guys, my internet hasn't been working all day, but my trusty Grandpa managed to fix it!

Whilst I was on my paeds placement, there was, understandably, quite a lot of interaction with parents. There was a situation which arose numerous times, where the parents were very particular and in some ways demanding in what they wanted with their child. This is understandable as they obviously just wanted what was best for their child, however sometimes what they wanted wasn’t realistic and wasn’t always the best thing for them.

In some ways this can be frustrating, because you as the physio also have the best interests of the child in mind; however the actions you want to take may be different to those of the parents. For example, one parent wanted their child to progress to a new style of walker; however my supervising physio didn’t think the child was ready. As a student, it wasn’t really my place to make those decisions, which is probably a good thing because I don’t yet have the experience to make that call. However, it does make me think, what would I do in this situation? Is it best to let the parent try their way, knowing that it may not work, or would it be best to try and explain to the parent that their child isn’t yet ready to progress, or isn’t at the level they think they are. I think either way it’s difficult because one way or another the parent’s view of where their child is at will be changed, and quite often this can be a depressing thing for a parent of a disabled child.

In the example I used above, it was decided by the physio to organize a time for the parent to come in and try the new walker, with two other highly experienced physio’s present. This gave the parent both a chance to see whether or not it would work and also, if it didn’t, to have this explained by people who really knew what they were talking about. I think if I was placed in the position of my supervising physiotherapist, I would have done the same thing. But those resources aren’t always available; if that was the case I believe that the best thing to do would be to sit down with the parent and explain to them in a sympathetic way why you don’t think what they’re suggesting is the best thing for their child right now. It’s also important to be really well informed yourself, that way your argument has a lot more force. If you had tried your hardest to do that and the parent was still very adamant about what they wanted then maybe it is best to let them try, as actions sometimes speak louder than words, as long as the child is not being put in danger. However, it’s very important to have compassion in these situations and try and see things from the parent’s point of view as well as yours.