Nursing and respite care services for ventilator-assisted children

Home care for children requiring life-sustaining technological interventions has become an increasingly common alternative to long-term hospitalization since the 1970s. The Ventilator Assisted Children’s Home Program, a state-funded program in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, has provided services to more than 600 infants and children requiring mechanical ventilation and their families. Under this program, children have the opportunity to live at home with their families and receive quality medical care. However, over time, parents and nurses have acknowledged that this care can often be stressful and overwhelming. Nursing and respite care services in the home environment can provide these families with extremely valuable supports.