FSM 147: SPECIAL CHILDCARE ISSUE!
(FN 256) DO
Copyright: October 1989 By Family Services, Zurich, Switzerland
Contents
Pg. 1--Lessons & Tips Learned from Childhood Diseases
Pg. 7--Questions & Answers on Fevers
Pg. 9--Our Monthly PTV Meetings
Pg.10--Visiting Our Children in a School Home
Pg.11--Goals & Tips in Planning a Children's Excursion!
Lessons & Tips Learned from Childhood Diseases--From the Heavenly City School
Whooping Cough--Chickenpox--Measles--Asthma & Allergies--Fevers
In the past several months a number of our children have been afflicted with Whooping Cough, & others in the area have had Chicken Pox & Measles. We would like to share with you some of the major lessons & tips we have learned during the care of our precious children. We pray that what we have learned may be a blessing in not only caring for other children with these sicknesses, but also make us more aware of our children's health needs. In a School situation (or even a regular Home), with many children to keep an eye on, it is important to learn how to recognise & act upon all the little "warning signs" of ill health in each individual to help prevent the spread of sickness.
If the children in your care do go through a childhood disease, it is important to realise that the period of convalescence after an illness also requires special care. Proper rest & a good diet are essential to help children recover from childhood diseases. They need easily digestible, high protein, high B vitamin meals with plenty of liquids, fresh air, gentle exercise & plenty of sleep. Children recovering from Whooping Cough sometimes come down with coughs afterwards quite easily which could be due to the fact that there was not enough time allowed for their bodies to become competely strengthened, & their lungs, being in a weakened condition, were affected by a chill or cold germ. Sometimes it takes a little more time & patience to see children through to full recovery, but it's really worth it in the long run. Please be very cautious & prayerful to diligently make sure that the children get the nutritional, physical & spiritual care that they need during & after their sickness, & remember that the ordeal that they have gone through is extremely taxing on their bodies. If we do what we can, the Lord will do the rest, & we pray He will bless us with quick recovery & healthy children.
GBY as we strive together to keep our children healthier & thereby happier!
Whooping Cough Lessons --Incubation, Duration & Symptoms--Research from Various Health Books
Incubation & Duration:
Whooping Cough can last three to four weeks but may in some cases linger on for up to ten weeks. People catch the sickness directly from someone who has it or is coming down with it, or indirectly from infected toys, clothes etc. Once a person has been infected by the disease they may not actually show any symptoms for a week or two & in some cases even up to three weeks. Unfortunately they can infect others from ten days before they actually have the cough to about a week after the coughing spasms have stopped. Whooping Cough is extremely contagious. It is most common in children from 1 to 4 years old. If children over 10 years old catch it, it is not usually as serious. Adults rarely contract it. (However, many of our teens did come down with strong cases & several adults contracted it.) Secondary infections, or even colds at a later date, may bring on the characteristic "whoop," but it is not a relapse of whooping cough.
Signs & Symptoms:
--Stage one: Sneezing, cold symptoms, watering of the eyes, throat irritation, poss-ible feverishness & light to heavy dry cough. (Many of our children started with a dry cough, with no cold symptoms at all.)
--Stage two: Increase in cough with regular coughing spasms, deep red face, lips & nails may turn blue for lack of air. Quite often a characteristic "whoop," but not always, sometimes ends with vomiting. More severe at night. This stage continues 2-4 weeks.
--Stage three: Coughing becomes less frequent, loses "whoop," cough continues for next 4 weeks or so.
Immunisation does not necessarily prevent one from getting whooping cough & it has been known to recur in children after five years. With a mild case, there may be no "whoop" & you may think the child simply has a bad cold. Some children have only one or two spasms of coughing a day, while others have several in one hour. Generally the coughing attacks are more severe at night.
Small babies do not develop the typical whooping sound, which makes it more difficult to diagnose as whooping cough. Babies have fits of coughing & swollen or puffy eyes. Nursing babies are not protected from this disease, although if they are nursing they may have a less severe case if they do contract it.
PRACTICAL REMEDIES, HELPS & SPECIAL CARE--Research Compiled from Various Health Books
Remedies & Helps:
* Vitamin B: Syrup (for easier absorption) 4 times a day, or give a balanced B vitamin for older children.
* Brewer's yeast: Mixed into light soup (rich in B vitamins--essential for healing).
* Cabbage & onion: Boil together & add to broth or bone marrow soup. Bone marrow is high in calcium & protein & easily & quickly absorbed.
* Garlic oil: Give frequent large doses to help prevent secondary infection & break down mucous, loosen cough.
* Honey: Has a fatal effect on germs--use with onion & garlic juice, cabbage juice & citrus (lemon) or vinegar.
Recommended Cough Syrup Recipe:
Fill a pot with plenty of onions, cloves of garlic, cabbage & water & boil to a pulp. Strain out the pulp & keep the liquid. Measure the juice remaining & add equal parts of honey & apple cider vinegar (or fresh squeezed citrus) & use as a cough syrup. These ingredients work effectively on any cough to break up mucous & kill germs in the chest & to prevent further or secondary infection. A child can sip this at any time, or you can administer one tablespoon as often as they will take it, once or twice every hour. Depending on their diet, it may cause them to have loose bowels at first.
Caring for Child with Whooping Cough:
* During a coughing spasm, raise the child's left arm above his head to help him catch his breath.
* Keep children in warm, but well-ventilated rooms (in warm climates, by the window is helpful).
* You may need to avoid giving them milk & milk foods as this tends to produce mucous. Yogurt & tofu are preferable. If you do use milk, bring it to a boil first, or cook it in a broth.
* Air bedding in the sun.--Keep fresh sheets & pillow cases on their beds. (Expect lots of laundry due to vomiting.)
* Take patient out into the open air in mild weather.--Seaside walks are very helpful as the salt air helps to dry up the mucous, but be sure they dress warmly enough.
* Spending some time in the sun each day is helpful.
* Give high protein diets & small frequent meals (every 2 hrs.) that are easy to digest. If they are too full when they cough, it can cause them to vomit. Avoid overeating.
* Feed the child nutritious food l5-20 minutes after vomiting & coughing has subsided to avoid malnutrition & weight & water loss.
* Avoid eating heavy, greasy or spicy foods, which are difficult to digest & easy to "throw up".
* Keep patient warm, but avoid sweating which can cause chills & secondary infections.
* Offer a warm tea, like camomile & honey, after a coughing spell, especially in the night, as it calms their muscles & helps them to sleep. You could keep a pot in your room--even a few sips will help.
* Attacks leave the victim in a state of utter exhaustion.--A gentle body rub & a nice comfortable bed help.
* Watch for signs of dehydration in babies: Listlessness, wrinkles around the eyes, prolonged dry diapers.--If not corrected at the first signs & they become dehydrated, they may need medical attention. Babies should be encouraged to nurse frequently as well as have extra liquids. Nursing mothers should eat a "super diet" with lots of B vitamins (Brewers yeast & liver are preferable).
* Vitamins A, B, C, D & E are very strengthening. (But too much of some vitamins can be dangerous, especially Vitamin A. Only give recommended amounts.)
* Prepare folded tissues beside their pillows, with basins for coughing. The children will want to keep their bedding & pajamas clean, so help them by providing tissues & basins.
* Keep a spray bottle of disinfectant solution near the beds for clean-up. A couple of tablespoons of baking soda in a litre of water can be used to rid the smell of vomit on rugs, bedding or laundry etc.
* Keep up communication among those concerned & those caring for the children by recording progress & problems on a simple health record form or in a notebook. (Include date & time, information or comments.)
* Keep vaseline or lip balm handy for dry lips.--Vaseline applied inside the nose will help prevent nose bleeds.
LESSONS LEARNED BY TEACHERS & CHILDCARE WORKERS
Nursing Tips, Practical Care:
We were not aware that the children had Whooping Cough until it had spread throughout the Home. Doctors cannot diagnose Whooping Cough conclusively without a culture test taken from the blood & a culture grown from a mucous sample taken from a cough. The results usually take a week & are not accurate unless the child has been coughing at least three weeks. Because the onset of Whooping Cough is so hard to detect & we did not isolate the children very strictly before we realised they had it, it was difficult to keep it from spreading.
We set up a special room for those in the second stage or "whooping" stage, with 2 full-time overseers during the day & 2 during the night. The night-time overseers would be off duty in the morning to ensure they got some quiet time, extra sleep & rest. The children in the special room had their own schedule & closer oversight.
Although they wanted to be more active in the daytime, we needed to keep an eye on their actual hours of sleep to be sure they didn't become over-tired. We experienced two children contracting secondary infections, bronchitis & bronchial pneumonia because they just got too run down. Lesson: Make sure children especially in the 2nd stage, have plenty of rest & good care!
A high level of inspiration was very important. The toddlers especially need a great deal of variety in their day, different toys & things to do. We had to be quick in coming up with new ideas, because if they got fussy, they easily fell apart & it was harder then to pull things back together again.
These children took mild "get-outs" with deep breathing exercises, during warm parts of the day. We were able to take the sick children to the seaside daily, which was a big help in keeping them inspired, as well as being good for their health!
The children needed activities during the daytime. Just sitting them in front of a video was not enough. Trying to schedule in some of their regular activities encouraged them. However, we did make sure these were not too strenuous or physically or emotionally demanding.
During this sickness, we grouped our children according to the stage of the cough. This taught us many lessons! For one, it gave us the vision for teaching certain subjects to different age levels in one room. It also helped the older ones learn to care more for the younger ones & helped the younger ones grow up more. Another advantage of being isolated with the little ones was that we were able to make great progress in their potty training & table manners!
We had adults sleep right beside some of the little ones who would wake fearfully in the night choking. Some teachers would hold the children through the night to be sure they woke up when the child did, to pray for them & encourage them!
If one child would wake choking in the night, others would often wake up & begin to cough when they really weren't having an attack. To prevent this from happening, it was important for the overseer to get right up at the sound of an attack to reassure the child & pray out loud so the others waking wouldn't become fearful & "get into it."
Some children vomited more than others & in some cases, they really couldn't help it. But with others, we could say "that is enough" & they would stop. Some are more "dramatic" than others & we learned to encourage them to stop, by being more firm without discouraging them.
We found we had to anticipate the toddlers' needs, as some would really become upset & cry & have a hard time settling down after an attack. Many times they just needed their pillow a certain way, or needed to go potty. We had to ask them what they wanted & try to meet all their needs to make it easy for them.
The overseers, when going on & off duty, would communicate any change in each child's progress or sleeping pattern, so the new overseers would know what to watch for, or work on with each child, both spiritually & practically. Nurses must change into clean clothes & wash their hair before re-entering the Home, so as to not spread the germs!
As adults, we have had to learn how much we can take & not to overdo in staying up with the children. If we are "out of sorts," we can't be right there when the children need us so badly. We learned to admit our limitations & ask for help or sleep when we needed it. We had a special sleeping room for the teachers who were "off duty" so they could get ample rest, as they would be working overtime for 3 months! The teens were such a big help doing all the laundry, keeping the room tidy, bright & cheery with bright pictures & murals on the wall (changed frequently), & bringing all the food & vitamins.
Spiritual Lessons:
The adults really had to fight discouragement & make a real effort to be cheerful, uplifting, speaking faith & praising the Lord--especially for the children's sake, who also had to fight discouragement, being sick so long! The children needed lots of extra hugs, cuddles & encouragement to keep fighting & winning the big battle!
So much depended on our unity, communication & dependence on the Lord & prayer! Everyone was sacrificing much of their free time--in fact no one really had any--so we had to keep encouraging each other that the Lord would bless our sacrifices & willingness to put the children first, & He did! There was so much we just couldn't do & we were desperate with the Lord & He never failed to answer our prayers!
We centered the children's activities mostly around the Word. They had memory projects for healing, fighting discouragement, fighting the Enemy, praising, & speaking positively. They made cards for each other & worked on memorising new songs & rhymes from the Rhyme Book on healing to sing & quote to each other at special times of the day. Poems from the Rhyme Book on healing, prayer etc., can be put on tape for children to hear!
Our Sunday Fellowships were centered around the battles we were all fighting together! The children & adults performed a "Time Beam" skit & visited Grandmother boxing the Enemy for her healing, Jacob wrestling the Angel, Moses during the battle when his arms were supported, John Paul Jones never giving up the fight, & more!
We sang theme songs like "Two Little Froggies," "Can't Keep A Good Man Down," "Keep on Fighting, Fighters," & our Home slogan was "The Spiritual Warfare Depends on Us!" The children really entered in & we all fought together--the conditions of the battle making us stronger as a team & individually too!
Through it all, the children learned beautiful lessons on faith & trust as well as sacrificially helping one another. Little ones would wake in the night to pray for one another, or get tissues & pat each other on the back for comfort.
Putting Word tapes on at night was always a real strength. We used recorders that would continually play (auto reverse) so the Word was always flowing when someone would wake up.
Several children were very fearful of the attacks in the night. We had to help them, not only for their sakes, but to keep the others calm as well. In the daytime we would memorise verses on Faith together & put them in little books which were under their pillows. In the night we would remind them of their verses & pictures & this really comforted them.
We prayed like everything depended on prayer & many of our children had mild cases compared to what it could have been! TYJ!
Chicken Pox & 10-Day Measles
(Please refer to pages 71-75 in the Heavenly Helpers #2 for a complete & thorough "Infectious Childhood Disease Chart" that will help you know the quarantine & incubation periods, as well as recognise the symptoms should you suspect any children in your Home are coming down with one of these afflictions.)
Recently in our Area, there have been many children afflicted with Chicken Pox & Measles. Since many of our children were just recovering from Whooping Cough, we learned a lot & would like to list a few precautions for you to consider taking with the children who contract subsequent childhood diseases. We would like to list a few points here about the Chicken Pox & 10-Day Measles that you may not be aware of which should help you in your care of these children. (Note: The following points are things that have happened to several children with these childhood diseases. However, the Lord is able to overcome these things & prevent any of them from happening. We are listing them so you can not only pray against them, but be aware of them & know what to do should they happen.)
"Our God is a God of miracles" & He can & will raise up our children from these sicknesses without any side effects or sec-ondary infections, especially if we do all we can to "roll away the stone"--He'll do what we can't--restore their bodies! TYJ!
Chicken Pox
1. Medically speaking, children within the same family or bloodline can each subsequently contract this childhood disease with a worse case than the child before them. In other words, if your 10-year-old comes down with it first & you notice that they only have about 10 spots, then it is possible that the second child in your family to come down with it will have more spots & likewise the third child will have even more & all the way down the line. We have included this tip so that you would not be alarmed if your third or forth child breaks out with more spots than the first one.
2. It is contagious four days before the rash appears until all the blisters form scabs.
3. One encouraging thing is that some children do not get it, but develop immunity just from being in contact with it.
4. Protect babies under six months & pregnant mommies in late pregnancy from exposure. If a pregnant mommy has it, it does not affect the baby, but you don't want the newborn to get it.
5. It is very important that children with Chicken Pox do not become too hot or sweaty because it encourages itching & scratching. A comfortable temperature in the room, with soft, loose-fitting clothing is best. Keep the rash clean & dry. Drink plenty of liquids & get good rest.
6. To help relieve the urge to scratch, children can be taught how to apply their own calamine lotion by placing a bit in the palm of their hand & gently patting them-selves with an open hand until the urge to scratch subsides. However, it is helpful if someone is on hand whenever the child feels the urge to scratch in order to help the child with his patting, especially in places that he can't reach.
7. Be very careful when brushing their hair, as a brush or comb can break the blisters on their head, causing more eruptions. This, of course, does not mean that you can't brush their hair, but you would want to be cautious not to run the brush or comb against the scalp.
8. If the children do pick a scab, it may cause a scar (of course with prayer, the Lord can take any scars away). However, try not to alarm them about it, & once the scab has fallen off, apply vitamin E oil, cod liver oil or vitamin E creme which will help the healing process & keep the scar from being too noticeable.
10-Day Measles
1. Children with the 10-Day Measles have been known to have a high fever for a week to 10 days--or at least an "off & on" fever for 5-10 days.
2. Because of the high fever, it's very important to make sure that the child has plenty of liquids. However, most children with the 10-Day Measles do not have an appetite or the desire to drink any fluids, yet salty or sour liquids seem to go down a little bit more easily, sometimes even a tablespoon at a time.
3. It is very important that the children do not stare at bright lights nor watch videos or television. Until the time that the spots begin to flake off of their skin, their eyes are very vulnerable to damage through direct light. A blanket on a window will help during very sensitive times when their eyes are particularly sore & runny.
4. Because of the very high fever, it is not uncommon for the children to lose small to large amounts of their hair after this sickness is over, even to the point of leaving bald patches on the head. (However, many children never have this happen.) Cutting the hair shorter, sometimes layered over the head, giving scalp massages with diluted jojoba or castor oil will encourage the growth of new hair.
Asthma & Allergies (James 5:14-16)
As colder, damper weather comes, some children (& adults) suffer from asthma & allergies brought on by mildew & dust in the air from blankets & sweaters, floor mats & mattresses etc. being brought out of storage. We would like to offer a few helpful suggestions for those who have these tendencies, that can help keep the attacks down to a minimum or eliminate them altogether.
Of course, first & foremost is desperate prayer & laying on of hands for deliverance. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all!" (Jam.5:14-16; Psa.34:19; Mk.16:18b.)
Overseers & childcare helpers can also pray for wisdom in how to teach children & teens to recognise symptoms & causes of asthma & allergy problems, & thus learn to prevent the problems by avoiding these conditions.
Preventative Tips
Learn to avoid all known circumstances that can cause the asthma to develop, & this will greatly prevent the problems! For example, in Japan you would not have the children sleep on the straw tatami mats but would put a rug or linoleum down instead.
If possible, have your blankets, bedding, sweaters & warmer clothing washed or dry cleaned before using them. In storage they accumulate a lot of dust & mildew--which is disastrous to those suffering from asthma & allergies.
Try not to have them sleep in rooms with walls that have spray flake paint on them. But if they have to, then if you can vacuum these walls daily it will help. If you have permission, paint over this type of wall to cover the flakes & dust. Older houses & buildings usually have a big build-up of dusty walls, rugs & surroundings which will need cleaning.
All curtains & screens in their rooms should be cleaned frequently to rid them of dust.
If they want a fan on, be sure it is not blowing on a dusty curtain & make sure the fan is clean.
Sleeping on foam rubber rather than fibre- filled mats is helpful. Avoid old pillows & dusty mattresses full of microscopic mites that cause real problems for asthmatics!
Try to air & beat bedding & blankets daily for these children & store their bedding in closets lined with plastic. This way you can wipe the dust out daily to prevent dust getting on their bedding.
Blanket or quilt covers, or covers made by sewing two sheets together, can be put over quilts & blankets & washed as often as you would a sheet.
If children sleep together on the floor, do not have those affected be in the room while you are "bedding down". They can step outside for fresh air & come in later once the dust settles!
Synthetic blankets do not irritate asthma if they are clean. Stay away from wool or fuzzy blankets & bedspreads. Use foam pillows.
Cotton clothing is better than synthetic, as well as synthetic fibre-filled coats.
If the asthma is quite severe, it is best for those with the problem to have a separate room that is virtually dust & lint free.
If you are preparing a room for an asthma sufferer, completely wipe down the room & furniture with a damp sponge & some sort of disinfectant & totally cover the mattresses with plastic. Wipe the bed frame down as well. If the air is dusty, put water in a spray bottle & spray the air to remove the dust, then warm & dry the room, but do not use a blow heater unless you have very carefully cleaned it first. Most asthma attacks are allergic reactions to certain things in the air.
During an asthma attack, sucking on a clove of garlic helps (do not chew it).
Comfrey & ginger tea taken freely is very helpful. (--Warm liquids with honey.)
Cooked or raw garlic with honey helps open breathing passages. You can fry the garlic & eat it on bread, or boil it & put honey in the broth, taking it by the tablespoonful regularly.
For severe cases, soak your feet for 15 minutes in a basin of water where you have previously boiled a whole bulb of garlic.
During an attack, small, frequent high-protein meals that are easy to digest will be more strengthening.
A steady "get-out" program that really exercises the lungs helps asthma sufferers.
If possible, sleep on a bed & not right on the floor.
Medical books do not recommend giving aspirin during asthma attacks.
Breathing in fresh oxygen from a portable tank or can (rented or bought) can offer relief at the onset of a serious asthma attack, & offer temporary relief even if the problem has become worse.
People with asthma, allergies & difficulties with breathing need extra rest to regain strength. The condition is very exhausting & needs attention, special care & understanding. (See also FSM 124, Pg.1)
God bless & help you as you prayerfully shepherd & nurse these needy sheep! PTL!
Questions & Answers on Fevers
1. Q: What temperature is actually regarded as a fever?
A: Normal body temperature is regarded to be between 36.9--37.5 degrees Centi-grade. As to what temperature is regarded as the beginning of a fever, here's where knowing a particular child's normal temperature will help you determine if a temperature of say 102 F. (or 39 C.)--a temperature most would regard as a fever--is really a fever for this child or not. For example, if a child's normal body temperature is 37.5 degrees (or even 38 degrees), he could have a higher temperature reading after an outdoor activity or in the heat of the day, which would not be considered a fever for that child. On the other hand, some babies' normal temperatures may be 36.6 degrees Centigrade or thereabouts & a temperature reading of 37.5 degrees Centi-grade would be an indication that something is wrong with that child, or at least they're beginning to get run down.
So taking a child's normal temperature into consideration, if he then has a slight temperature after a vigorous activity but does not show any other symptoms of sickness, he's probably fine but may need to slow down a bit. However, if the child does register a fever & at the same time shows other symptoms of sickness--such as listlessness, loss of appetite, over-tiredness, headache etc.--then you would need to treat that more seriously, even if he registered only a slight fever, because the symptoms along with the fever seem to indicate illness. In other words, 38 degrees Centigrade may not be a fever for some children if no other symptoms accompany it, if his normal temperature is high to begin with, or if he's just had a vigorous activity which has overheated his body. But 38 degrees Centigrade could be a fever if the child normally has a low body temperature &/or the fever's accompanied by other symptoms of illness.
A big factor to consider is that doctors say the part of the brain that controls body temperature is not fully developed until the child is three years of age. Thus a young child can have a fluctuating temperature of up to 38.5 degrees C. (101 degrees F.), & still not be sick! To determine if it is a fluctuating temperature, it's suggested to change the child's activity or room for an hour or so, in which case their temperature should fall back down to normal. (If the fever is caused by a sickness, the temperature will remain.) Besides the fever, if it is a sickness, this is often confirmed by other symptoms such as loss of appetite, restlessness or irritability, rashes or swollen glands, sore throat, abnormal bowel movements, trouble urinating &/or extra frequency, over-tiredness, headache etc.
Another thing to realise is that the intensity of the fever does not necessarily determine the seriousness of the sickness. Different children's bodies will react differently. For example, one child may get a mild fever at the onset of the flu, while other children may have very high fevers. Some children register fevers before they show signs of a childhood disease, while others will have no fever. On the other hand, there are some sicknesses in which a high fever is a very evident sign of the sickness itself, such as in Roseola or 10-Day measles.
2. Q: What exactly is Family isolation policy for fevers? There seem to be a number of 12-to-24-hour fever viruses that do not exactly develop into actual childhood diseases, & in isolating any sick children for 3 or 4 days, it often means that the adults in the Home also do not go out & visit anybody else from other Homes, attend fellowships, leadership meetings etc.--Not to speak of quite a few extra people being tied up in the care of the children. Is it sufficient, if the first child who comes down with the fever is isolated for a 2-day period to see if anything else develops? Then providing the first child recovers well in two days or so & nothing else does develop, if other children also come down with the same symptoms, would it be OK to assume that it's the same 24-hour virus, & thereby continue on with regular Home operations?
A: Obviously, in this case cited, the fever & virus is contagious, so if others get it because it's spreading throughout the Home, then visiting other Homes, fellowships & meetings could spread it to them too, which could hinder the work even further.--Mat.9:29! On the other hand, neither can we let sickness bring God's work to a halt. While it would certainly not be good for children to go out & mix from a Home where several children have fevers or sickness, & we wouldn't recommend that adults who care for sick children visit other Homes & chance spreading the sickness to their children, it would be OK if adults from that Home with sick children mixed with other Family adults in leadership or important adult meetings if necessary, provided that before the meeting they shower, wash their hair & change their clothes etc., to try as much as possible to prevent the sickness from spreading.
Sickness can easily spread from Home to Home, as we've experienced, & this is where the individual Home has to be prayerful & considerate in their interactions with other Homes. In the case cited above, if the illness has proven to be a light fever that only lasted one day or so, & no other children came down with it within a two or three day period, possibly it would be safe for the adults to mingle with other Homes. Those actually caring for the sick would have to be especially careful in this respect, remembering to wash their clothes, hair & body before mixing with others.
To try to clarify the isolation policy for fevers: The main reason we isolate is to determine if a fever or various symptoms will develop into a major childhood disease, which may not occur until as late as the fourth day after the fever. A fever is a warning signal, & because it's usually quite taxing on a child's body, isolation can help protect other children (especially babies & newborns!) from coming in contact with the germ or illness. Isolation also provides better & needed rest & care for the sick, so isolation has several purposes.
While isolating sick children within the Home may not always prevent contagious diseases from spreading--except through desperate prayer & the Lord's mercy--most important, it is beneficial for the sick child's recovery. Isolating a feverish child provides closer oversight of their symptoms, as well as the proper rest, care & diet needed, without which sick children & teens don't fully recuperate & can become weakened & suffer relapses etc.
As you can see, fevers are a big subject! One thing that really helps in coming to a decision regarding fevers & isolation is knowing more about the fevers them-selves--for example, what causes them--as well as a working knowledge of different sicknesses. The decision to isolate or not can then be based on this, as well as the child's previous medical record. (For details on isolation for sickness, please see "The Story of Davidito", pgs.258-9.)
3. Q: Should aspirin be given to sick children to bring down fevers?
A: In ML#878, Dad says if a child's fever gets up to 104 degrees F. (40 degrees C.), "it's getting pretty high & it should be checked with a couple of aspirin or analgesics if possible, it should not be allowed to remain up at that high level too long for fear it would be too hard on the body".
Doctors, however, caution not to use aspirin for feverish children who have been dehydrated from vomiting, diarrhoea, or by failure to drink enough liquids. Aspirin may also upset some children's stomachs. An alternative to aspirin is Acetaminophen, which comes in such popular brand names as Tylenol, Panadol etc. (Acetaminophen has anti-fever & anti-pain effects equal to aspirin but is reported to be free of side effects or severe toxidity.) Likewise, aspirin interacts with Vitamin C, which could cause a toxic build-up if you administer several doses.
Above all, desperately pray & ask the Lord to bring the fever down & deliver your child! (See ML #2236 in Volume 17, "Prayer for David's Fever!")
Helpful Information About Fevers!
Fevers are a symptom of some sort of toxin (poison or disease) in the body. There doesn't seem to be any distinction between low fevers & high fevers as far as being symptomatic of a serious or non-serious disease.
Normal body temperature is said to be between 36.9-37.5 degrees Centigrade although this is just in general. It would be good to find out what someone's actual normal temperature is by testing it when they are well, so that when there is a fever it would be known just how high above normal the temperature is. Temperature also fluctuates between 2-7 am & is highest between 4-9 pm. Another point to consider is that usually after exercise & vigorous activity the body temperature is of course raised, & so feeling hot at this time is not indicative of a fever. Thus a good amount of time should elapse after these activities before taking a temperature reading.
It seems that other symptoms have to be noted before a more specific diagnosis as to whether the illness is contagious or not can be made. Some sources indicate that children can have a fever for 2-3 days without any other symptoms & with no apparent effects on them as far as energy & wanting to be involved in normal activities, & then the fever will go, giving no clue as to what caused it. As for teething coinciding with fevers, some authors say that this was in their opinion a matter of coincidence rather than the teething causing the fever.
Fevers are warning signals, but it is then important to also look for other symptoms such as: Loss of appetite, unusually quiet, lack of energy, sleepy or irritable. Apart from childhood diseases & some colds & flus, infections can also cause fever. Further signs of infection would be vomiting, diarrhoea, coughing or frequency of urination. The infection may or may not be contagious. As to what temperature could be regarded a sufficient cause for isolation, it would seem that there is no set standard.
So in conclusion, while a fever is an indication that something is wrong, as far as determining whether a disease is causing it, other symptoms would have to be noted & perhaps a decision to isolate be taken from this more complete picture. Also the previous medical record of the child or adult would be a big help in determining if this is something out of the ordinary or in fact a common occurrence with the individual, as apparently running a temperature is more normal with some children than others.
OUR MONTHLY PTV MEETINGS--"Parent-Teacher Visitation"--From the Teachers at the HC School
Once a month, we have "PTV" meetings to ensure good communication between parents & teachers for the benefit of each child. The parents of the children here are very busy in their work for the Lord, & the time spent with their children is somewhat limited. So, we've found that the PTV helps unite the parents & teachers, & consequently helps the parents better shepherd their children in the small amount of time they are with them. At these meetings, parents & teachers can agree on united disciplinary actions, follow-up on lessons the child is learning, & arrange for the parents' help with Word projects.
"Open Door" Day
After discussing & praying about it, we felt it would be helpful to work something out for the parents to be better informed of their child's progress, as well as their daily activities in the school groups, so we began with what we called an "Open Door" day. This was simply an invitation to all parents for whenever they had a little extra time during the appointed day to "come & see" or observe their child in his group, & to get a little taste of the children's regular school day: What they do, how they are taught, how they respond in class etc. God bless the parents who took time out of their busy schedule for this, some having a number of children, with quite a few groups to visit. We did not have "Open Door" day for our toddler group, because they are too young to have Mommy or Daddy come & observe without being distracted.
Parent-Teacher Meetings
Besides this "Open Door" day, we felt it would also be beneficial to set aside a separate time for the parents to actually get together with the teacher alone & discuss their child's growth, NWOs & progress.
We scheduled the meetings in the evenings at a time when the parents would be free to attend. We combined two children's groups in one room with a video or special activity supervised by responsible teens, so as to free as many teachers as possible. As there was a shortage of individual rooms for our Parent-Teacher Visitations, we had to, in some cases, set up two groups in one classroom, giving the teachers a corner each to set up & receive parents.
We wanted to give the parents the opportunity to look over their child's school work & thus found it helpful to have the scholastic materials out for the parents to look at while they were waiting for their turn to talk to the teacher, i.e. their Superworkbooks, exercise books, & any other school books. We also posted any test results--which was very encouraging for the parents to see how their child had scored--as well as the daily schedule, the curriculum plan for the week or month, the children's JJT responsibilities, memory & review charts, & also shiner & demerit charts etc. The parents appreciated that look into their child's school work, & in reverse, the children were inspired to produce nice, neat work knowing their parents would look at it.
It was helpful to estimate how many parents would come to the PTV to better plan & divide the time evenly between them. We planned between one to one-&-a-half hours for our PTV meetings monthly.
Positive Communication
When talking about the child with the parents, it is good to start on a positive note, then go on to the child's NWOs, & end with another encouraging statement about the child. It is important to share the child's NWOs, but at the same time be positive & show you really have faith in the child to overcome his or her weaknesses & to make progress. It is a blessing to pray together with the parent at the beginning of talking about the child, as well as committing the child to the Lord unitedly.
If you are in a new situation where the parents & teachers are just getting to know each other, it might be a good idea to pray against sensitivity or being offended, & that you'll have open, good communications.
Parents & Teachers Benefit
An important point that was brought out concerning the PTV meetings was that the parents said they got to see a side of their children that they didn't normally see, i.e. their scholastic progress, response during class & attitude towards their peers. As teachers, we found that getting together with the parents helps us get a better understanding of the child, especially if the child is new to the group. Another benefit for the teachers is that the meetings help us to pray specifically about each child's overall progress beforehand and it spurs us on to keep good & diligent records of their school activities & the student's records.
Visiting Our Children in a School Home--From Mary Mom (Kezia)
Recently we visited our seven children at their School Home & learned a number of very important lessons which we pray will be a blessing to other parents visiting their children. The announcement of our arrival caused no small stir, as of course all the children wanted to be with Daddy & I full time, to eat with us, sleep with us & do something special together.
Our first mistake was in not communicating in advance about our arrival to allow the School time to make sleeping arrangements. It is not very easy to place seven children & two adults in a room to themselves without having to do some major reshuffling in the other areas.
Also, we were so keyed up & excited as we hadn't seen the children in quite some time, that our excursions & activities weren't very well planned & organised & things just didn't fall into place that easily. And because we didn't take time to really plan out our visit in detail, we also spent virtually no time with the foster parents or teachers to hear from them about any particular areas that our children might need our help in, & as a result of this failure to communicate, our children slipped back in a few areas while they were with us.
By not scheduling time with the foster parents or teachers, we also missed the opportunity to encourage them & communicate with them as we should have--praying with them & establishing a good link to carry us through the time that we would be apart.
To help other parents not make the same mistakes we did, we would like to offer the following tips for parents, foster parents, teachers & Home Shepherds to prayerfully consider when parents visit their children in a School Combo:
1. Parents should communicate with Home Shepherds, teachers & foster parents well in advance of their expected arrival, giving the School Home enough time to offer any suggested changes. For example, the children could be recovering from sickness & it wouldn't be advisable for them to be included in an outing, or perhaps there is a special singing or witnessing engagement coming up & it's not the best time for your visit. Of course, quite often these visits are determined by the parents' schedule, but it's still only courtesy to check first to make sure that everything is going to run smoothly for the School Home as well.
2. Discuss with the Home Shepherds & foster parents if you would like to sleep with your children so they can make the proper arrangements. If it is not possible for the parents to sleep with all of their children then perhaps a schedule could be worked out so that the parents can sleep with some during rest time & others during the night.
3. The School Shepherds could inform the teachers & foster parents of the time of the parents arrival so that they would have time to jot down any notes on the children that should be shared with the parents.
4. Try to schedule time to meet with the teachers & foster parents of your children to give them the opportunity to inform you of any disciplinary situation & advise the parent on how they feel the children should be handled. Perhaps your son has been learning lessons about competition in sports, so that overseers of your children would be concerned that you didn't play anything that would encourage this weakness, or they might want to discuss with you how you would plan to handle your son's present weakness in any games that you might play. It is important for the teachers & foster parents to be able to pour out their hearts to you & find out your reaction to their care of your children. They need your encouragement & understanding as well as to see that you have faith & trust in their ability to do the job that you've asked them to do. This time of counsel should unite you in the same goals for the children & increase your love & appreciation for each other, which will greatly benefit the children.
5. When parents haven't seen their children for a long time, it's often very hard for them to discipline their children, & the teachers & foster parents should be aware of this & should be encouraged to remind the parents to stay on top of any area that is slipping. The parents should be able to receive it & communicate openly about this understandable weakness. In other words, it's not a good relationship between teachers, foster parents & parents if the foster parents & teachers are not able to say what they feel to the parents. The parents are not with the children daily & they don't really know their children as well as the ones working directly with them, therefore the parents should show respect for those caring for their children & encourage them to speak up.
6. Of course, the children do receive a special love & sometimes a certain tolerance from their parents that they don't receive from their childcare workers. This, of course, is understandable & acceptable & it's the parents' opportunity to really pour on the love & affection that the children need from them. Foster parents & teachers should understand this & not expect the parents to run as "tight a ship" & operate exactly according to all the classroom rules & schedules. But at the same time, the parents should be mindful that the children will respect them for keeping up the standard & staying in unity with the children's immediate overseers.
7. It is very important that the parents have time to pray with not only the teachers & foster parents but also the children before they leave, uniting everyone together in the Lord & really committing each other back into the Lord's hands. Abrupt departures caused by a mis-planned schedule can be very disturbing to children.
Goals & Tips in Planning a Children's Excursion!--From the HC School
An excursion needs lots of prayer & planning to get the optimum benefits--especially one with a large group of children. We'd like to share some tips we learned on our recent excursion with 22 children & 8 adults. We hope they will be a blessing to you. GBY!
1. Choosing an Excursion Location
Before our excursion, all aspects of the excursion grounds were thoroughly checked out by the same adult who later headed up the team.
Things to look out for in scouting out excursion spots are:
* Public transportation vs. private trans-portation
* Whether food should be taken from home or can be provisioned on location
* Discount or provisioned ticketing
* Discounts for groups
* Prices for tickets (especially considering teen or adult helpers to come along to care for the children)
* Weather (sun or shade if outdoors)
* Bathroom facilities
* Distance
* Other advantages & disadvantages, dangerous areas etc.
* Suitability of the area for different age groups of children (i.e. safe for toddlers? Interesting for OC's?)
* Opening times & days of excursion location (especially for specific day planned)
2. Planning the Team
For this excursion, we had two adult men & two adult women accompanying 4 responsible teen girls, making 8 adults with 22 children--seven 3 & 4-year-olds, four 5 & 6-year-olds & eleven 7 to 9-year-olds.
The driver in this case provided the second male adult on our team, which was needed since all the teen childcare helpers & other childcare overseers were female. The other male adult attending contributed educationally & poured out to the children, as well as helped to keep them in line.
3. Preparations in Advance
Teens were assigned to prepare in advance such needs as: Sunhats, sun lotion, tissues, handwash cologne, wetted paper towels & a few plastic bags for trash or car sickness, as well as the First Aid Kit.
They also prepared cheese sandwiches, & brought lots of napkins & provisioned juice for our take-out lunch. The cheese sandwiches were cut in half so they'd be easier for the children to eat on the bus.
A guitar was also taken along, to use for singing on the mini-bus, & to be available for provisioning & witnessing--as well as lit, tapes & Videos for witnessing!
4. Instructions to the Team
The teachers prepared the children for the excursion by reading some TKs & having a little study about the excursion location the day before.
The team overseer instructed the children & teens beforehand as to which teens were responsible for which children. Specific instructions were given that if the overseer raised her hand to the group, everyone was to be silent & listen for instructions.
The children were to line up two-by-two & follow their team leaders just as they do in lining up at the School when going from room to room. The children were reminded to witness & smile & be a blessing to outsiders, & to be orderly & obedient.
The three Japanese speakers were asked to help translate any signs or conversation with outsiders.
The children were instructed before getting off the bus all about the schedule of events--the "shows" & museum we'd see, so they'd be envisioned why it was important to follow our schedule in an orderly fashion.
5. Transportation
The Home vehicle was thoroughly checked out for safety before leaving with such a group of children.
We asked which children were prone to car sickness & had them sit at the front & by a window, where they could see out better.
6. At the Excursion Location
Before paying for our discounted tickets, we had the children line up by age groups so tickets could be counted & distributed as quickly as possible, as we paid according to their ages.
Each adult & teen was responsible for 3-4 children, except for the main overseer who was free to rove & lead the groups. Adult/teen helpers were instructed to keep their group in control, & in line & to teach & explain as they go. We also counted all purses & bags, hats etc. & made frequent recounts to make sure nothing was lost.
When any children needed to go to the bathroom they'd go two-by-two with one teen helper or adult, who was responsible to turn their other two children over to the childcare overseer to watch while they were gone. The children were instructed how to use a public toilet without touching it & how to wash their hands afterwards. We scheduled the potty runs so that they didn't disrupt the excursion tour too much.
The excursion was arranged so that we arrived in time to be able to get the maximum benefit of the visit in the first 4 hours, & could return at lunch time on the bus when the children ate their lunch & slept if need be on the way home. TYJ for a fun & organised adventure together!
Copyright 1996 The Family