There are an estimated 15.000 children (2-16 years) and 20.000 young people (17-24 years) with post-COVID in the Netherlands. They have long-term complaints after having had corona. Extreme fatigue is the most common and is often accompanied by: mood symptoms (sad, tense, angry, anxious, depressed), sleep problems, headache, shortness of breath and/or shortness of breath, stuffy nose, change in smell/taste, dizziness and palpitations. Confusion, concentration problems, sensitivity to stimuli and memory complaints also occur regularly in addition to symptom clusters such as PEM (post-exertional malaise) and POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome).
What does C-support do for children and young people?
C-support not only offers advice and support to adults with post-COVID, but also to children and young people with post-COVID and their parents. At the moment, more than 150 children aged 0-12 and more than 300 children aged 13-18 have been registered, of which significantly more girls than boys. This also applies to almost 700 young people between the ages of 18-24, three quarters of whom are women.
C-support provides concrete advice
The symptoms associated with post-COVID have a major impact on a child or young person in
- daily functioning
- physical activities
- the energy level
- the sleep rhythm
- the behavior
- the eating habits
- social contacts
- the ability to learn
And with that on growth and development. Aftercare advisors from C-support provide advice and customized support by telephone. They periodically monitor the development of a child/young person. Is there recovery, deterioration and/or stabilization of the complaints? Aftercare advisors also provide tips for daily functioning both at home and at school/study, taking into account the personal complaints. They discuss the limitations for the child or young person, but also discuss the impact of post-COVID and the (living) loss they experience by having this condition.
When a child has post-COVID, it can have serious consequences for school time and cognitive and social-emotional development.
- C-support provides assistance with communication and/or bottlenecks at school or with healthcare providers;
– helps parents of children or young people prepare for 'difficult conversations' with school and/or healthcare providers, such as contact with a truancy officer or the youth doctor;
– indicates what is important in contact with school and healthcare providers and what you should pay attention to.
- C-support advises on what care is possible at school and what is already available, looking at appropriate education and who can contribute to this;
- C-support helps parents with their process and role in providing informal care for their children;
- C-support advises to seek as much help as possible in regular care, the options can also be discussed;
- C-support maps supply and demand for (care) facilities within, among others, the municipality and national institutions. It points out to parents, children and young people the possibilities they can use.
“With this disease, you have to deal with many different disciplines, which do not always work together. In that web of opinions and interests, you have to be very assertive as a parent to achieve what is best for your child. We received mental support and practical tools from C-support. They have the expertise in-house and are aware of the latest developments. For us, a valuable sounding board in dealing with the disease and with the different disciplines.” – parent of 14-year-old post-COVID patient
C-support responds to medical questions
The medical advisors (doctors) can be called upon by an aftercare advisor for medical questions from parents about their child and if there are questions from young people themselves, about the impact of their symptoms and their physical, mental and social development.
- Attention is paid to:
- the medical history;
- the time of acute infection;
- the timeline of the complaint progression;
- the vaccination history;
- the treatment initiated and its effect;
- the child's functioning before corona and at the time of the conversation.
- Together with the parents and (if possible) the child or young person, the question is explored in depth. The doctor tries to analyze and indicate what may be post-COVID related, by, among other things, signals of PEM, POTS and MCAS to ask out.
- Medical advisors can join the peer consultation of your child's healthcare providers.
Knowledge sharing in healthcare
Medical specialists can contact the medical advisors for advice. This allows current medical developments, information and knowledge about ongoing and/or new treatments and/or medication to be shared. Aftercare advisors share their information and knowledge with regular care providers and/or therapists. For example, youth doctors (GGD) or compulsory education officers.
C-support in a nutshell
C-support's work is all about listening, informing, advising, supporting, attention and customization. For useful links, tips and answers to frequently asked questions, visit our collection page about children and young people with post-COVIDIf you could use some tailored advice and support, please register (free of charge).
