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Supporting parents of children with challenging behaviour

admin Blog, Complex Care
Supporting parents of children with challenging behaviour

For many, being a parent is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have. However, it can also be the most challenging.

This is particularly true for parents of children with complex needs or behavioural issues.

Whilst the care of the child is always a priority, it is also important for parents to take care of themselves.

What is challenging behaviour?

Challenging behaviour isn’t exclusive to children with complex needs. It is common for children and teenagers to lash out when they are experiencing big or new emotions.

However, sometimes challenging behaviour is a more frequent occurrence and becomes difficult to deal with.

Some examples of challenging behaviour are:

  • Tantrums or angry outbursts
  • Regularly shouting, swearing, or being violent
  • Damaging items in the home
  • Refusing boundaries and routines
  • Impulsive and risky behaviour
  • Bullying or unkind behaviour towards others
  • Refusing to engage in conversation

Understanding your child

Unlike adults who can recognise, process, and communicate their emotions, children often struggle to understand how they are feeling.

It is important to remember that whilst your child is acting out, they are just expressing how they feel in the only way they know how. Remembering this information in the moment can be tough, but ultimately helps you to rationalise and understand their behaviour.

Getting to the root of how your child is feeling can help improve their behaviour.

Whilst getting to the root cause of challenging behaviour can be tough, there is plenty of support available.

Don’t go through it alone

When you have a child with complex needs, it is important that you both have the support that you need.

Collaborating with other adults helps to build a support system. This can be educators, healthcare professionals, therapists, and other caregivers who are all able to contribute to your child’s care and wellbeing.

At Almond Care Children’s Services, we can provide any additional support that you need.

Our trained team works with you and your child to create a tailored care plan, suitable for the whole family’s needs.

If your child needs support, get in touch with our team today.

How can therapy benefit children with complex needs?

admin Blog
How can therapy benefit children with complex needs?

Children with complex needs often need more help and support. Sometimes, this comes in the form of therapy or counselling.

At Almond House, we have an in-house psychotherapist who can provide bespoke therapy tailored to every child’s needs. Therapy provides children with an opportunity to explore and talk about their emotions in a safe environment and works towards helping children understand and process their feelings.

Different types of therapy

Therapy is different for every individual child. However, there are many recognised therapy frameworks that are offered by counsellors and therapists. They include:

  • Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT): focuses on children understanding their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
  • Interpersonal therapy (IPT): focuses on understanding the relationships that children have with their peers, parents, or carers.
  • General counselling or psychotherapy: this is usually tailored to the individual child and their specific needs.
  • Art, music, drama, and play therapies: help children explore and express their feelings in a safe way.

Each form of therapy can be beneficial to individual children. Our psychotherapist can help identify the most effective form of therapy for each individual child, ensuring that they are getting the help and support that they need.

How therapy helps

There are many ways in which therapy can help a child. Broadly, therapy aims to improve the general emotional well-being of the recipient. That can be by improving or stabilising their moods and encouraging self-care practices.

For children with complex needs, therapy can also help with socialisation. This can be as simple as aiding them with making friends, or as complex as dealing with difficult behaviours. Our highly trained psychotherapist can help individual children with their struggles.

Therapists can also help children overcome any educational issues that they are facing. They can help advise strategies to be put in place to help children learn in a way that works for them.

With International Stress Week coming up, now is the time to start thinking about therapy. Working with a psychotherapist may sound stressful, but it can help reduce the anxiety and stress of children with complex needs.

Accessing therapy can also help to reduce stress for parents, carers, and families of children with complex needs. Therapists can help provide support to parents and carers of their patients, helping them gain a deeper understanding of their child’s needs.

If you are interested in learning more about our therapy services, get in touch today.

What dangers do vulnerable people face in winter?

admin Blog, Care Management, Complex Care, Live-in Care
What dangers do vulnerable people face in winter?

At this time of year, the risk of illness increases for everyone, but it can be particularly harmful to people who are clinically vulnerable.

From the drop in temperature to the increased pressure on the NHS, it is important to be prepared for the difficulties of winter.

Who is classed as vulnerable?

The NHS states that people who are vulnerable in winter include:

  • People aged 65 and over
  • Children under 5 years old
  • People with a low income
  • People with long-term health conditions
  • People who are disabled
  • Pregnant people
  • People who have mental illnesses

Increased risk of illnesses

In winter, we see an increase in illnesses. The common cold, flu and COVID-19 can all prove to be serious for people who are vulnerable.

If you are classed as clinically vulnerable, you may be invited by your GP to receive both a flu jab and a COVID-19 booster vaccination. These vaccinations will not make you immune, but they will reduce the risk of serious illness.

Keeping warm

One of the most dangerous elements of winter is the temperature. It is advised that you should aim to heat your house to a temperature of at least 18C, particularly in the rooms you are using most.

Being cold can lead to the common cold or cases of flu becoming more serious.

There are grants, benefits, and advice available to help make your home more efficient, improve your heating, or help with bills.

For more information, you can call the Government helpline on 0800 444 202 or go to the Government website here.

NHS pressure

Due to all the above, the NHS faces increased pressure at this time of year. The influx of patients means that wait times increase and services become less accessible.

If you are feeling unwell, it is important that you get the help you need.

Pharmacies can offer advice on medications and whether you should visit your GP surgery.

If you need to visit your GP, please still do so. You can also contact NHS 111, either online or by phone in a non-emergency medical situation. Having the right care in place can help to avoid these situations.

Help and support

The dangers of winter mean that many people need more support. Whilst friends and relatives can provide help with small gestures, such as buying groceries and collecting prescriptions, many clinically vulnerable people need more at-home care.

Our highly trained carers can provide nursing care and support for those with complex needs. From hospital discharge services to live-in care, we provide different levels of care for those who need it.

If you or a loved one needs specialised care this winter, get in touch to find out more about our services.

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