Taking care of us

We are mindful of how difficult the last year or so has been for all our families and keen to look at ways in which we can provide meaningful help. So we were immediately interested when we were approached by Dr Anju Bhatia, who is a speciality paediatric dentist, clinical teacher and trainee chaplain at King's College Hospital.

Dr Bhatia is trained in self-care and meditation and had used these techniques during the worst periods of Covid within the hospital to support the front-line staff. She was interested to trial these techniques with young people with a long-term condition. We could really see the benefits and were delighted that six of our young people agreed to take part in the trial.

The different techniques we learned I know I will carry with me and apply them when I need to The course of two hour- weekly Zoom sessions over eight weeks focussed on self-care tools and allowed the group time to look at ways to feel brighter, happier and more relaxed during an ongoing period of worry and concern, both relating to their condition and the external environment.

They explored aspects of being human and how negative emotions impact on them physically. They also practiced techniques each week which helped them to self-care more efficiently and improve their whole wellbeing. And although the impact of the programme was not immediately obvious to the young people taking part, each week we could see their understanding and confidence increase; they were all actively engaged and looking forward to each session.

Came at a perfect time, giving tips that I needed and that I was searching for By the end of the programme, all those taking part could see that it had made a real difference, as their comments show

We’ve had such a positive response that we are now working with Dr Bhatia to provide a well being programme for parents and will bring you more news on this as soon as it is finalised.

Help us keep everyone on Yellow Alert

Yellow Alert is CLDF’s campaign to promote the early identification of liver disease in infants. It is vital that liver disease in newborns is identified and treated as soon as possible. Our free resources enable parents and health professionals to spot the signs of liver disease and arrange appropriate referral.

From a poster for your GP’s surgery to information on when jaundice becomes a warning sign, you’ll find everything you need to know at childliverdisease.org/yellow-alert.