The Planning/Preparing Stage (up to 16 years approx.)

It’s time to plan your transition to adult health care services, here’s some tips to help you.

During this stage you should build on your existing knowledge about your condition. This will increase your confidence and help you when dealing with your health care team. During this stage you should listen more attentively at hospital/clinic visits and ask more questions. You might even consider seeing your doctor or other health care professional (for example, specialist nurse, dietician or physiotherapist) by yourself on some occasions. Your parent(s)/guardian(s) will continue to be supportive during this stage.

Top tips

  • It is helpful to start taking more responsibility for your own medication and treatments. Know when and how much to take.
  • It can seem daunting but you should begin to think about seeing your doctor or other health care professionals by yourself.
  • Try to learn more about your condition and treatments and consider talking to others about them.
  • It would be useful to start planning your ‘move’ to adult health care. Ask your parents/guardians and your team about it – ask questions and express your concerns.

  • Consider finding out the main differences between child and adult health care services – this way you will know what to expect when you move.
  • Try to understand more about the impact of nutrition, exercise, alcohol and drugs on your overall health.

The Transition Steps…

Reading the material on this website and listening to or reading the ‘transition stories’ will help prepare you for transition.

In this way, you will gain more information and confidence that will support you through the process. The important thing is that you will see that you are not alone. Your parent(s)/guardian(s) and health care team are there to support you and help you to manage the move to adult services. There is no single transition process or programme in Ireland but it is helpful to think of the process as including the following three stages:

Thinking about transition
Planning your transition
Making the transition

Reading the material on this website and listening to or reading the ‘transition stories’ will help prepare you in some way for transition.

In this way, you will gain more information and confidence that will support you through the process. The important thing is that you will see that you are not alone.

Your parent(s)/guardian(s) and health care team are there to support you and help you to manage the move to adult services. There is no single transition process or programme in Ireland but it is helpful to think of the process as including the following three stages:

Thinking about transition
Planning your transition
Making the transition