There will come a time when your teenager with chronic pain needs to work with a team experienced in the care of adults and take full charge of her own health.
This transition can be quite emotional and stressful for all involved. Moving on to a new health care setting is like graduating from high school to college. Over a short period of time, your teenager shifts from being the biggest, oldest, and wisest person in the setting to being a young, inexperienced “rookie” in a larger and different environment. Some teenagers find the new experience exciting. Others prefer the security of their old situation. What the treatment team expects of your teen, in relation to self-management and control, will be different as she is moving from paediatric care to adult care. In the adult system, young adults are expected to take complete responsibility for themselves over time.
There are several ways to increase the chances that your teen will successfully transfer from a child-centred health care setting to an adult one.
Ideally, the change to adult care should come when your teenager is confident and responsible enough to move forward. Hospital or clinic policy usually dictates a transition between the ages of 16 and 20 years. Many parents begin getting their child ready for the transition to adult care at an even earlier age. There is indirect evidence that transitions are most successful when they begin as early as possible and include the teen attending medical appointments without her parents.
You can help your teenager make a successful transfer by encouraging her to take an active part in her own care when she is a child and as she moves into adolescence. Teens should learn to solve problems for themselves and to make choices about medication, physical activities, and lifestyle. This sets the foundation for your teen to manage her own behaviour as she grows into adulthood.
She will also need private time with her health care providers, including her pain specialist and general practitioner. Dealing with health care appointments alone, even occasionally, helps promote her sense of independence and responsibility. Before they move into adult care, teenagers should have the opportunity to explore various options for continuing health care. It is also helpful for teens leaving the paediatric care centre to take part in either an individual or a group transition program.
Starting early
Teenagers should know as much as possible about chronic pain and how to cope with it.
Teenagers should be encouraged to participate in all aspects of their own care.
Teenagers should begin going to medical appointments alone. The frequency of independent visits can increase as the teen matures and begins to take more responsibility for her own health care.