Phase 1: Intensive care unit
When your child has a tracheostomy, they will spend time in the intensive care unit (ICU). The healthcare team will monitor your child closely until your child’s health is stable enough to leave the ICU.
While your child is in the ICU, you will work with the tracheostomy educator. They will start teaching you how to
care for your child’s trach and help arrange for the equipment and supplies you will need at home.
Phase 2: Hospital unit
After leaving the ICU, your child will move to another unit of the hospital. This is a big step towards bringing your child home.
While your child doesn’t need the same monitoring they had in the ICU, they cannot be left alone. As you are learning trach-care skills, and when you are able to be at the hospital with your child, the healthcare team will encourage you to take part in your child’s care.
You will keep practising the skills you learned from the tracheostomy educator until you feel confident and are competent to care for your child on your own.
Once you have the skills you need, the healthcare team will encourage you to take over as much of your child’s care as possible. You will take your child on walks around the hospital and off the unit by yourself. This prepares you to take your child home.
Phase 3: Going home
You will get any special equipment your child needs at home. This may include a ventilator and suction machine. You will get extra training on how to use the equipment as needed.
As you prepare to bring your child home, you will work with the Home Care Program. They will assign you a case manager and a nurse or respiratory therapist to support you at home.
You will meet your Home Care team in the hospital. They will help assess what supports you may need at home and may:
- Recommend changes to areas of your home.
- Make sure you have the right equipment and supplies.
- Help you find hired caregivers (if needed) and decide how many hours you need them per day.
- Help you find funding to pay for extra supports or look at other resources, such as private insurance (if you have it).
Once your home is set up and caregivers (if needed) are hired and trained, your child will come home for day trips, then overnight. If all goes well, and you feel comfortable taking over your child’s care, your child will be discharged home.
