by Jenny Shelton
Child Life Manager

In the critical care areas of Le Bonheur Children’s, child life specialists focus on providing services to help the whole family.  Research shows that their brother or sister being in the hospital affects siblings.  When a family member is missing (i.e. hospitalized) the family system is out of balance.

In the critical care units, we often ask family members about the child’s siblings to get an understanding of how they are coping.  Siblings have a very unique bond that needs to be sustained even while their brother or sister is in critical care.  Families are often hesitant about talking to siblings in regards to where their brother/sister is or what is happening.  This is where child life specialists in critical care can help.  We help families find the right words and when appropriate initiate the process of having siblings come visit their brother/sister in the critical care unit.  

When talking with families in the critical care about siblings the first question that we ask is, “What do they know?”  I encouraged families to be honest, but simplistic and concrete in their answers about the child in the hospital (i.e. they are at the hospital in a room because they are very sick and doctors/nurses are taking care of them).  Sometimes simple explanations are all siblings need to cope effectively.  Many times children need more information and the opportunity to physically see their brother or sister.  Depending on the hospitalized child’s condition and critical care unit’s policies a sibling visit may be scheduled to meet this need. 

Here at Le Bonheur, child life specialists in critical care help prepare siblings for the critical care environment and things that they will see when they are at bedside with their brother or sister.  After talking about the critical care unit and seeing pictures of their brother or sister we ask if they would still like to visit.  Most of the time siblings want to go to bedside and the child life specialist and family accompany them to see their brother or sister. 

The child life specialist is present throughout the visit to assess the coping of the sibling(s) and the hospitalized child.  Typically, we spend about 30 minutes at the bedside and then debrief after the visit to answer additional questions and process the event.  I encourage families to continue to update the siblings on their brother or sister’s progress while in the critical care. 

Sometimes children are unable to visit for a variety of reasons, but they can still help their brother or sister.  I encourage families to have siblings make artwork for the room, select family photos to be displayed, record their voice/videotape themselves reading a favorite story or singing a song, or pick the hospitalized child’s favorite items from home to be brought to the hospital.  The simple act of having siblings presence in critical care can be one of the most beneficial gifts in the recovery of the hospitalized child.