Ways you can help Families with a Special Needs Child

 There are many ways you can help families with a special needs child. I’ve teamed up with UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation to bring you some great tips to help those in your life with a child with special needs as well as to tell you about an amazing grant that will help everyday families get the support they need to help their child move mountains. Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, however all opinions are 100% mine. 

Finding out your child has an illness or special needs can be hard. A family with a child that has special needs will have many obstacles added on to the stress that most parents go through already. Making their day to day just that much harder.  Although most people try to be empathetic  most don’t know exactly how to help friends and family who have a child with special needs. Here are just some ways you can be a support system to those you love who have a little one that needs a little extra help. 

Ways you can help Families with a Special Needs Child

 

Be a support:

I know we all have chaos going on in our lives but making a conscious effort to make sure your friend or family member is ok is huge. Sometimes a parent with a child that has special health needs just needs to vent, talk or think out loud. Be that support. Give them a call. Have them over for coffee. Give them that time to feel human again and to be able to just talk. 

Learn about what they are going through: 

In order to support or help your friend find out more about what they’re going through. Read about their disability. That way you can understand more what they are going through and that way you can support them with understanding and knowledge. 

 

Offer A helping hand:

As a parent we all struggle, but can you imagine having to add in therapies, doctors appointments and more? If you know a friend or family member is going through a lot of therapies or appointments maybe offer to bring by dinner on one of those nights. Just double up on your favorite dish and you can bring it over. The amazing help you’ll give a friend or family member will be huge.

Does this child have a sibling? Offer to help at bus pick up or to have them over for a play date. Many of these appointments happen during 

Give them a Sense of Belonging:

One of the main things I’ve heard from friends and family members that have children with special needs is how important it is for them to have a sense of normalcy even for their special needs child. I love when I see my kids reach out to kids with disabilities and treat them  like they’re one of the group.

The same goes for adults, we may say one thing but adults can be horrible about including other adults. Maybe invite your friend or relative out for dinner, or a movie. Taking care of a child with disabilities is absolutely exhausting and is a 24/7 job. Give them the ability to have a normal night out to recharge and tackle what the next day may bring.

 

UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation

Having a child with disabilities is emotionally & physically exhausting, however the financial burden can be huge.  What’s even scarier is realizing you may not have the money to help with treatments, therapies or support to help your child. Many times even with commercial health insurance parents just aren’t able to afford necessary treatment, support or even therapy.

The UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation (UHCCF) offers grants to families in need of financial assistance due to a child’s medical needs not being covered or not being fully covered by their commercial health insurance plan. From hearing aids to prosthetics to physical and occupational therapies, the list goes on as to what these grants help with.

Most important you can help others in need not just by spreading the message on these grants but by donating to help others in need. 

People just don’t know these grants exist and they also don’t realize that you don’t need UnitedHealthcare insurance to apply.

The Foundation just awarded it’s 20,000th grant to 6 year old Allie in Louisiana. See her story below:

Normal Families who need a little extra help

These are working families, not that different from you or me. They often fall in the gray area of earning too much money for gov’t or public assistance programs, but not enough to cover everything. As you know, health benefits vary quite a bit, so UHCCF seeks to fill any gaps where a treatments/service/equipment is not covered or not fully covered.

These families may have a child(ren) who has a speech delay, struggles with autism, battles a chronic illness or life-threatening disease, or may need hearing aids to better understand and play with siblings. Often, these families just need a hand-up, not a hand-out. Some of the more common uses of grants are for: multiple sclerosis treatments/therapies, autism treatment/therapies, diabetes treatment/therapies, hearing aids, orthotics, physical, occupational and speech therapies. Best of all  families do not need to have insurance through UnitedHealthcare to be eligible for a grant, As a matter of fact, more than 75 percent of awarded grants have been given to families not covered by UnitedHealthcare.

 Since 2007, UHCCF has awarded more than 20,000 grants and $48million to children and families across the United States. To be eligible for a grant, a child must be 16 years of age or younger. Families must meet economic guidelines (e.g. family income must not exceed $100,000 for a family of 4), reside in the United States, and have a commercial health insurance plan. Grants are available for medical expenses families have incurred 60 days prior to the date of application as well as for ongoing and future medical needs. Applications and more information about the UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation can be found at www.uhccf.org.

More information on UHCCF Grants and where to apply

There have been 20,000 grants awarded this year and they have a goal of awarding  50,000 grants by 2030! That means they’ve awarded over $48M.

The best news is that 89% of applicants are approved for a grant and they award between 2,500-3,500 grants each year.

There are some great events coming up where you can help support UHCCF Head over here to check them out.

You will never fully understand what a parent with a special needs child goes through. However, making an effort and supporting them with some of these tips  will make life that much easier. 

Most important, directing them to these grants may be what they need. Helping make life that much easier for their kido. So share this message, donate and support wherever you can! 

To find out more about the UHCCF Grant head over here. 

You can  Apply for a grant, head over here. 

Head over and  Donate over here.

Do you or someone you know have a child with a disability? Make sure and share this post with friends and family and show them ways they can help.  As well as take advantage of this fantastic grant!