JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — For parents of teens with complex medical needs who need to wear diapers, privately and discreetly changing them is a challenge.
“At 17, my son is the size of a small adult,” said Christine Horn.
Horn's son, Joseph, was born with Smith-Magenis Syndrome, a developmental disorder associated with intellectual disability and delayed speech and language skills.
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Joseph is also on the autism spectrum disorder and is nonverbal.
“Changing him standing up is not an easy task and usually not a great option because it’s very difficult to get him completely clean that way," said Horn. "We have changed him lying across the seats in our car, but that’s public and I’d like to give him some privacy."
After Horn brought this concern to Wolfson's Children's Family Advisory Council, action was taken by hospital leaders to install an adult changing table in one of the bathrooms at Wolfson.
Marion Landua-Figueroa, a family advocate for the Bower Lyman Center for Medically Complex Children at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, is also a member of the FAC.
SHe has adopted seven children through the foster care system, all of whom have special needs; the oldest are 13 and 14 years old.
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“It is impossible to change them without an adult-sized changing table, unless you lay them on the floor,” said Landua-Figueroa. “But that’s unsanitary and the kids already have weakened immune systems. Plus, it’s difficult to pick them back up to put them back in the wheelchair.”
The changing table is equipped with a remote control and it folds down from the wall to make it easier to maneuver someone on and off.
“It is literally life-changing for our families,” Landua-Figueroa said. “I am so thankful that the leaders at Wolfson Children’s saw the need and made it a reality for families of older children and adults.”
“It is a huge blessing,” Horn said. “It has been a game changer for us. Having the adult changing table installed in a place where we spend so much time has relieved so much of our stress about how and where to change Joseph.”
Cox Media Group
