CHATS booklet helps families during traumatic event

Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) has launched the new booklet ‘CHATS: Children Helped by Adults to Talk about Stroke’ to help families navigate the traumatic event.

Professor Ronan Collins, Clinical Lead for the National Stroke Programme reports that “Almost 25 per-cent of strokes in Ireland happen to those who are parents of children and young people”.

International studies have shown that it is important to talk to young people about their loved ones’ illnesses for their mental health.

However, sharing the diagnosis is often emotionally difficult, and staff of the stroke service at TUH recognised adults’ need for accessible, high-quality resources to go about it.

“We wanted to help adults recognise the importance of communicating honestly with a child or a young person after a stroke and also how to best offer support, during this difficult time,” says Ms. Wendy Moynan, Social Work Team Leader at TUH.

The booklet was co-authored by Ms. Moynan and Dr. Aine Connolly, Principal Clinical Psychologist, who both have years of experience working with families in this difficult adjustment.

During its development, an important step was hearing about the personal experiences of members of the Irish Heart Foundation’s Young Stroke Survivors Network, including what would have helped them and their families.

Dr. Connolly hopes that the guide will “not only raise awareness of the importance of this topic but will also be a valuable tool for adults as they deal with the anxieties and fears of their children after such a traumatic event.”

“My son was 13 when I had my stroke and I wish we’d had this book to explain to him what had happened at the time,” a stroke patient said.

“Reading this book you realise you are not alone at this scary time.”

Although the guide addresses strokes specifically, the content generally related to discussing illness and hospital visits with children is easily applicable to other medical conditions.

The booklet was developed under the guidance of Mary Hickey, Quality Improvement Lead at TUH with funds from a Meath Foundation grant and features artwork by Caroline Hyland with input from Alison Baker Kerrigan of the Arts & Health Department.

The booklet can be found online on the Stroke Service department page of the Tallaght University Hospital website.

The guide is also supported by an animated video, which can be viewed at this link.

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