Other families have been where you are—and connecting with them to hear about their experiences can offer you comfort, hope and an opportunity to share your concerns.
As part of the comprehensive approach to care at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, we’ve curated a list of resources to help you connect with other parents.
Get advice from other parents who have experience dealing with situations like yours. Family Voices of Minnesota is a nonprofit organization that puts families with similar needs in touch with one another. It provides parent-to-parent matches with volunteers who have received special support training. Each match will look different.
For example, a match might support:
Parents and caregivers are great resources for finding answers to common questions.
Matched parents might have questions, such as:
Although many questions are addressed during medical appointments and therapy visits, parents and caregivers might want additional information from someone who’s been there.
To request a match, email P2P@familyvoicesmn.org, or call toll free at 1-866-334-8444.
Are you looking for a way to connect with people who have cerebral palsy or spina bifida and their families? Join Gillette resource groups on Facebook! These community forums are the perfect place to ask questions, share your experiences and receive support from the community.
Our Parent-to-Parent video series is a collaboration with Family Voices of Minnesota. Watch these brief videos (each less than five minutes) for advice and impressions from other families who have extensive experience at Gillette.
Below you'll find a list of other online resources and organizations for parents or caregivers of children, teens and adults who have disabilities or complex medical conditions.
ABLE Act 101 (PDF) - Learn about the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, legislation signed into law in 2014 that allows states to create tax-advantaged savings programs for people who have disabilities to use on expenses related to their medical condition.
