“The doctor said my child is deteriorating. What does this mean?”

There are a number of possible scenarios when your child’s medical team begins to use the word ‘deteriorate’. These may include:

• Your child’s condition may have remained the same for a long time and then their condition changes suddenly and they may become weaker or less mobile than before and may never fully recover. This means that your child may not return to their previous health state. This deterioration can be difficult for families to see.
• Your child has suddenly become more unwell resulting from another illness – such as a bad infection. Your child may spend a long time in the intensive care unit or another hospital ward making it very difficult to determine if your child will get better.
• It may have become clear that your child is no longer able to fight their illness. They may begin to have more symptoms (such as pain) and their doctors may think that they have little time left requiring further conversations and considerations about the best treatment options for your child.

Considerations

You may like to consider asking your child’s medical team some of the following questions to help you decide the best treatment options for your child and your family.

• Is this treatment going to cure the disease?
• Is this treatment going to stop the disease getting worse?
• What will happen without the treatment?
• What impact will the treatment have on my child’s quality of life? (for example less time spent in hospital and more at home being a family)
• Will the treatment improve my child’s symptoms? (such as better pain management, fewer secretions and need for suctioning)
• Will the treatment make my child feel worse?
• How long will my child feel worse for?
• Will this treatment cause my child to suffer? How will these changes affect our family life?