Who lives at home?

[Oku]

Why do professionals (mainly GPs) always ask who lives at home and their ages? Just wondering why it’s relevant?

I’ve always been asked at the hospital when there with kids.
I’ve been asked a couple of times at the GP but guessed it was just a routine, background, small talk question

I would think it's a bit relevant for SALT, surely the more people at home the more the child is exposed to speech and different types of speech. Two people who are very close can learn to understand each other often using reduced speech or noises or non verbal and are more likely to fall into bad habits, I would think. Also its dialogue only between two whereas in a bigger household there are group conversation dynamics that are very different. A kid who has older siblings probably would be expected to develop better speech than an only or kid with a baby. I don't work in that field so I'm only guessing

Need extra support, single parent, over crowded living, I don't know I never get to see a gp. I've been asked before operations whether I have someone at home to look after me when I'm discharged, which is sensible.

safeguarding mainly.

Because if you say ‘me and the other professionals that share the house of multiple occupancy’ or ‘me and my new boyfriend of six weeks’ it’s a safeguarding concern

No GP has ever asked me as far as I remember.

I have been asked this or variations of it when at appointments related to my child.

I get the impression they take my concerns more seriously when I say I have other kids as it means I’m not “just an anxious first time mum”. But maybe that’s just me being cynical.

Dd ( then 10) was asked this when she went to A&E with a broken collarbone. I’m guessing given that stepfathers/ mums bf cause a disproportionate number of non accidental injuries to dc they are looking for those sorts of red flags in case the child re-presents

I was also asked if a social worker is currently involved with our family

I think generally they ask this just to get a picture of the child's home life.

perhaps you have another child with a similar condition?

We very frequently ask, yes.

For me it helps me put a patient into context of their life- they’re not just a list of medical conditions but a human with a life and a story.

Ok thanks all, reason I ask is im a lone parent and often worry they are judging me because of it, yes I know it’s my own issue but have been judged in the past.

No they don’t, they ask if they deem it necessary to build a bigger picture. That can be for many reasons but it obviously doesn’t apply to everyone always.