Health for College Students
Here are the strategies that will help answer the question of how to handle health for college students and other paths that they might take.
As we send our kids away to college, trade school, the military, wherever… we need to prepare them to take care of their health. This can look like a lot of different things, so let’s break down the different health issues that our older teens and young adults might face so that they are better prepared to handle illness if it occurs.
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Even if our student is going to our hometown university, the amount of time that we will be will our teens is greatly reduced. We are there if they need us, but a lot of times they won’t ask or don’t want to ask. We need to help our kids to know when they are sick and what to do about it, especially if they are further away.
I asked my friend Dale Troy, health coach, and a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School, to write this post, and she has some great tips! More information about her below.
*Dale wrote this for me when I was still had my own blog. I never got it published till now, and sadly, she has passed away. She was a great professional friend… ~Mel
Health for College Students: Prepare for and let go of our teens
As a mom, it’s natural to want to protect your children. If you’re like me, you worry about the health of college students, them getting hurt (physically and emotionally), and getting influenced by the “wrong” people. They are our “babies” after all!
I know how hard it is to let go, and drop your child off at college. I’ve done it 12 times now….four times for each of my three daughters! And each time I would get teary-eyed even though they were becoming more confident and capable of functioning without me there.
But we have to let go. After all, our role is to prepare them for the adult world….to launch them out of our home and into their own life. College is that in-between stage where there is still some degree of protection (from the institution) even though they aren’t living under our roof.
Be sure that your student knows where nearby clinics are, whether they are on campus or off.
Health for College Students: How to protect your child
Colleges have put rules and procedures in place to keep students and faculty safe. What else can you do to protect your child?
First, purchase a supply of disposable gloves and hand sanitizer. Make sure your child has a thermometer and knows how to use it. Send them with Tylenol and Advil, as well, if you are confident they will only take it if necessary.
Provide them with a basic first aid kit that they can have in their dorm room for any minor injury. Here is our post on how to make your own first aid kit for your college student.
Give them a resource they can use when they’re not feeling well, or get injured, and they don’t need to go to the health center. I recently learned about the perfect resource: Dr. Jill Grimes’ book, The Ultimate College Student Health Handbook, is a great resource full of great info.
Health for College Students: Preventative measures
Discuss the importance of self-care, especially getting enough sleep. If your child eats healthy food, gets regular exercise, drinks plenty of water and sleeps well, they will be better able to fight off any germs. They can keep healthy snacks in their dorm room, which is easier now than ever.
Remind them to not eat or drink after anyone, and to especially never take any medication if they don’t know where it came from -in other words, their own prescription or their own medicine stash.
Health for College Students: Mental Health
By the time most teens leave home, they will have experienced stress in their lives. Here is a post that will help you to help them deal with this. We wrote this post to help you to create a stress reducing kit. This would be a good thing to teach your teen before they leave, because, as we know, life can and will be stressful at times!
At the very least, make sure that they know where the counseling center on campus is, and encourage them to use it -even when things are going well. This helps them to have a relationship in place in the event that they suddenly need someone. Also, they need to know that there is no shame in needing some help at times.
Health for College Students: Final Thoughts
The best thing you can do before your kids leave home is help them to determine when they are actually sick.
Help them to know what their healthy temperature is, and to know how to explain various symptoms to a healthcare provider. Knowing when to actually go seek help is a life skill, as is actually calling a clinic or making an appointment online. Help them to do these things before they leave your home.
Author’s bio:
Dale Troy was a mom to three daughters, a health coach, and a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School.
She worked with college students so that they could do well academically, have a positive social experience, and maintain physical and emotional health.
She is missed.
Related posts for Sexting and Your Teen::
6 Steps To Take Before Your College Student Has a Medical Emergency
Ways to Help a Stressed Out Teen
Best Small Space Workout Equipment
Create a DIY First Aid Kit for Your Young Adult
5 Conversations Before College
NPP Review of Mama Bear Legal Forms -if you have kids over the age of 18, please read!
You Have An 18 Year Old: Be Aware Of These Little-Known Facts
Ways to Keep Your Child Safe at College
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