As our families grow and change, so too do their healthcare needs. Over the course of our loved ones’ lives, we’ll inevitably need to seek the support of a variety of different healthcare providers and medical specialists. And we need to be able to easily engage them as each family member reaches different stages of development, or whenever an emergency arises.
Because of the evolving nature of the support families require, it pays to plan ahead. Thinking about the types of care your family may require, and when, allows you to proactively build your support team. It can also provide significant peace of mind, ensuring the assistance you require is only a phone call away.
Ensure the Foundation is Strong
The exact makeup of your support team needs to be tailored to your family’s unique requirements. However, there are a few key players who should feature on every team.
Most significantly, you’ll need access to a trusted primary care provider (PCP). They will be the center of your team, and your main point of contact for most of your medical needs. As such, they should be able to monitor your long-term health patterns and refer you to any specialist support required.
For most families, their PCP will be their family physician or pediatrician, though a range of different health professionals could be suitable. For example, nurses who have completed DNP FNP programs are increasingly being chosen for this crucial role. With their advanced clinical training and patient-centered approach, they are perfectly positioned to support patients of all ages.
A good support team will also include an experienced dentist, preferably one who specializes in pediatric oral health. Cavities are the most common chronic disease among American children, and yet, they’re easily preventable with regular care. By establishing good oral hygiene habits early, you set your kids up to have healthy teeth later in life.
A reliable pharmacist can also be an invaluable inclusion on your family’s support team. More than simply dispensing prescribed medications, they can provide advice on different treatments you and your loved ones may require. This includes answering any questions about specific drugs and addressing any concerns you may have about interactivity.
Consider Your Maternal Health Needs
If you’re just starting your family or planning to expand it, the support of a reproductive healthcare professional is crucial.
This will usually be an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN), who can help monitor reproductive system health and manage all aspects of pregnancy and childbirth. Many families also choose to work with certified nurse-midwives (CNMs), who can provide more holistic prenatal and delivery support.
In some situations, additional specialist care may also be required. This could include the services of fertility specialists and reproductive endocrinologists, as well as postpartum care, like lactation and sleep consultants. As the perinatal period can be particularly physically and emotionally complex, having access to healthcare professionals you trust is especially important.
Make Space for Your Mental Health
Being a parent is stressful. The threat of anxiety, overwhelm, burnout, parental guilt and distress, sleep deprivation, and social isolation is real. Even more so, if you have underlying mental health concerns.
Kids also face significant mental health challenges. Anxiety and depression can have a major impact on a young person’s social development, mood regulation, and even physical health. This can be further exacerbated by common childhood concerns, like worrying about fitting in, making friends, and body image issues.
Engaging professional mental health support is a great way to help your family cope with major life transitions. A family therapist or counsellor can help you work through welcoming a new child or changes to your work-life balance. A child psychologist can help manage behavioral problems, navigate the start of adolescence, and develop emotional regulation and resilience.
Openly seeking mental health support also normalizes this practice for your children. Scheduling regular check-ins, just like you do for physical exams, removes stigma and ensures any issues are identified early. This also helps create a happier, healthier, more stable home environment.
Take an Integrated, Holistic Approach
Families are increasingly looking beyond the boundaries of traditional medicine for ways to optimize every aspect of their health. This is not to say that they’re turning their backs on conventional healthcare. Simply that they’re seeking ways to supplement traditional treatments with additional care that focuses on the whole person.
An integrative health approach combines evidence-based medical interventions with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). It aims to leverage the benefits of both traditional and alternative practices to achieve better, more holistic health outcomes. Common CAM practices include:
- Using dietary supplements and tailored nutrition plans to support growth, boost immunity, and manage chronic conditions.
- Adopting deep breathing, yoga, or tai chi practices to help manage stress and promote mindfulness.
- Engaging a chiropractor, osteopath, or physical therapist to optimize functional movement and improve musculoskeletal health.
- Working with an acupuncturist or massage therapist to manage pain and relieve stress.
Which complementary services will be most beneficial for your family will depend on your unique requirements. If you have any specific health concerns you’d like additional help managing, you may want to explore alternative therapies. Just make sure they adhere to the relevant standards and complement, not conflict with, your primary medical care.
Consider the Practicalities
Building your family’s support team is about more than just assembling a contact list of preferred healthcare providers. It’s about building a cohesive, collaborative support system that changes and grows with you.
Acknowledging this, there are a few key things you should focus on when selecting new support team members;
Most significantly, services need to be accessible, both physically and financially. When urgent needs arise, or you’re facing regular visits, you don’t want to spend hours traveling, so proximity matters. And focusing on services covered by your insurance should mean you don’t have to decide whether seeking care is “worth it”.
Open communication is also critical. Health information can be quite sensitive, so you need to feel comfortable discussing it with your chosen providers. To help with this, look for healthcare professionals who understand your situation, share your beliefs, and respect your preferences.
To make this even easier, try to tap into systems that support seamless sharing of your medical records. This will reduce the need to repeat yourself and ensure that every team member has all the information they need. Your PCP will usually be able to help with this, providing you with referrals to specialists within their network.
Once your team is established, make sure you regularly check in on whether it’s still working for you. As your family expands and your children grow, your needs will naturally evolve, and certain services will become more (or less) important. The make-up of your support team should respond to this, adapting to suit your exact requirements as they change.
