Cerebral palsy in infants inevitably means that the child’s parents are going to face some significant parenting and financial challenges. If you have a family member who has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, whether they are your child or a brother or sister, there are some things you can do to make their life a bit easier. Most of these things have to do with educating yourself about the condition and understanding the challenges that they’re going to be facing as they grow and mature. The birth injuries that cause cerebral palsy do not heal, so there will always be a certain level of care that the sufferer will require.
Access
People who suffer from cerebral palsy typically have mobility issues. Many of them end up dependent upon a wheelchair to get around. Some of them can get by using crutches and, in some cases, the cerebral palsy symptoms are mild enough where the sufferer can walk mostly unaided. When somebody has cerebral palsy, however, they usually do have some issues with keeping their balance. One of the things you might consider doing is adding ramps to your home to replace stairways. This can make it easier and safer for cerebral palsy sufferers to get around the house.
If somebody is in a wheelchair, you’ll usually have to lower at least some of the cooking and utility devices to accommodate them at some point. Obviously, if you’re dealing with somebody who is still a child, this is not a huge concern. By the time somebody with cerebral palsy becomes a teenager or a bit older, however, they’ll need access to all of the same parts of the house that everybody else will. You may have to change around the floor plan a bit to accommodate this.
For very young children, cerebral palsy sometimes means that reaching milestone moments is delayed. Because of that, you may need to accommodate a child who is crawling longer than average or a child with very poor coordination. If this is the case, you’ll have to take appropriate measures to make certain that your home is safe for them. Your physician can give you suggestions about what kind of protection they may need from falls and other hazards.
People with cerebral palsy have tremendously varied levels of mobility and cognitive development. Helping someone with cerebral palsy always means helping an individual, which starts with assessing their specific needs.