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Clinical Updates
UCLA Transitional Care Program for Adolescents/Young Adults with Congenital Heart Disease: Program Update
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Assisting teens and young adults to transition into adulthood
The transition of healthcare from adolescence to adulthood for children with congenital heart disease can be difficult and filled with medical and lifestyle obstacles. The UCLA Transitional Care Program for Adolescents/Young Adults with Congenital Heart Disease assists the adolescent, young adult and his/her family to successfully navigate the transition process by making available comprehensive services and continuity of care as he/she moves to adultoriented healthcare.
The center – a partnership between the Division of Pediatric Cardiology of Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA and the Ahmanson/UCLA Adult Congenital Heart Disease Center – provides these services in a family-oriented environment, offering a valuable resource for patients, their families, and for community-based physicians with patients who are preparing to move from the pediatric environment to adult care.
Our Mission
The purposeful, planned progress of adolescents and young adults with congenital heart disease from a child-focused to an adult-oriented healthcare system, with the goal of improving their overall healthcare and promoting lifelong self-management of their medical condition.
Our Goals
- To provide continuity of care for the residual effects related to congenital heart disease.
- To promote independence by providing the adolescent/ young adult with skills required to manage his/her care.
- To assist – through counseling, referral and followup – the adolescent to realize his/her highest possible educational and vocational goals.
- To promote mature development by addressing adult issues, including psychosocial, sexuality and reproductive.
- To promote healthy lifestyle choices, exercise and proper eating habits.
- To assist parents, through support and counseling, to reinforce the independence of their child.
Our Services
- Create and implement an individualized and comprehensive plan to educate the adolescent/young adult about his/her cardiac condition and ongoing healthcare needs.
- Develop a lifestyle “road map” to assist the adolescent/ young adult to learn the skills necessary to function in an adult-centered medical environment, assume responsibility for the management of his/her disease and to achieve independence.
- Provide parents with information and guidance regarding development of a transitional care plan for their child.
- Assist parents to encourage and support responsibility and independence for their child.
- Offer parents counseling, skills training and support to help relinquish their responsibility for their child’s healthcare and permit their adolescent/young adult to assume primary responsibility for his/her own care and participation in decision making.
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