Epilepsy Center Transition Policy

The Epilepsy Center at Lurie Children's is committed to helping our patients make a smooth transition from child-centered care to adult health care. This process may start at age 14.

In child-centered health care, parents make most of the decisions. In adult health care, the young adult is the decision maker. To help get ready for adult care, we will spend time with the teen without their parent/care-giver present during some visits. This allows teens to become more independent in their own health care.

Teens become legal adults at age 18. Many of our young adult patients may want their family members to be involved with health care decisions. We respect and encourage family involvement. At 18, the young adult will need to give us permission to discuss any personal health information with family members. Some young adults are not able to make health care decisions on their own. We will provide resources on legal options for guardians to maintain their right to health care decisions.

We will partner with youth and their families regarding the age to transition to an adult provider. Most patients fully transition to adult care between 18 and 21 years of age. We will assist with this transition process, including identifying an adult provider, transferring of medical records, and communicating with the adult provider about the unique needs of our patients.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Epilepsy Center at 312.227.3540.

Learn More About our Chronic Care Transition Team