The hospital is a place full of germs and machines and scary things for children. So unless the child is the patient try to reduce visits of children to family members. Keep the visits short and explain as much as possible all the "scary" machines. Don't let them play with them. Or touch the big blue button behind the bed! So what can children do! Depends on how long the patient needs to be in the hospital! Simple hand made cards from little ones. Lots of colour! A note or letter from an older one. If texting, send a nice text to the person. If longer, a poster with lots of messages and maybe pictures. Teenagers usually handle visiting well! For some very sick patients, I have seen those blankets with family pictures on them. So the person can be surrounded and warmed by the love of family. Everyone wants to see their loved ones but the impression that can be made on children can need some processing. Be prepared for the questions or the reactions. Answering the big question- is grandpa going to die- no he has a hernia. Is mom going to come home- yes she just has to get a little better. Will Uncle Bill ever walk again- they are trying to get him as well as they can. Le's wait and see how he will do! Children need to be part of the family event. Not letting a child near the person can create fears! Just shorter visits. Remind everyone to wash their hands or sanitize those hands. Hand washing is 70% of good infection control.Of course in this day and age, everyone is very aware of the need to wash hands and keep germs away!
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