Therapy and Medical Appointments Parents of children with cerebral palsy see many medical practitioners, therapists and other professional and care staff. These people have the best interests of the child at heart when suggesting therapy and courses of action to follow. As a family member or friend it is important that you support the advice and efforts of the professionals that the parents trust and respect, even though you may not agree with what they are doing. Your acceptance and support is both necessary and valuable to families with special needs. This includes both emotional and practical support.
Emotional support is the most important support that can be offered by family members.
Practical Support You can provide reliable help to the parents on a regular basis. If you can offer to make regular visits to provide help, the commitment to reliable practical support lets the parents plan their busy schedules more smoothly. You could talk with the parents about going around once a week at a particular time and doing an hour or two of washing or gardening to lessen the load. However, every parent requires differing levels of support depending on their individual situation. What they want is empathy, which is an effort by you to understand how they are feeling and what they are going through.