|
Women's Health
Help to Brighten a Child's Hospital Stay During the Holidays
The Giving Tree and Child Life Program at the Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St.Vincent
|
December 01, 2010 >Giving a gift that's priceless
When most of us think of our children on Christmas Day, we envision them running to the Christmas tree to see what Santa left for them.
But, unfortunately, not all children wake up at home on December 25 to gifts under their family's Christmas tree. Some children wake up to the sights and sounds of the holidays in the hospital and Christmas just doesn't feel the same.
"We can't change the fact that they're in the hospital, but we can make it more enjoyable for kids," explains Molly Giles, who coordinates the annual Giving Tree program at Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St.Vincent.
Through the program, every child in the hospital receives a gift on Christmas Day, bringing many smiles in the midst of difficult times. But the kids aren't the only happy ones. Giles says the gifts are as much for the parents as they are for the children.
"A parent with a child in the hospital spends so much time at the bedside that there is little time or desire to shop," she says. "Or bills and eating out also make it difficult to purchase gifts for the holidays."
A year-round gift
While gifts are collected during the holidays, they are handed out to children throughout the year by the hospital's child life specialists. The Giving Tree gifts are used for birthdays, end-of-treatment parties and sometimes as a reward or recognition for how well a child has handled a medical procedure.
"We try to give something to every child while they're here," says Angie Shepler, CCLS, a child life specialist on the general pediatrics floor. "Most of those gifts come from the donations we receive during the holidays."
Shepler is one of nine child life specialists who interact with inpatient and outpatient pediatric patients. Because medical treatments and procedures can cause emotional stress and some pain for children, child life specialists have a variety of resources to help educate patients about unfamiliar terms or procedures. They help children (and their families) understand and manage their experiences in the hospital by encouraging expression of feelings through medical play, offering support and distractions during procedures, and providing techniques for coping, pain management and relaxation.
"It's important to make the hospital a positive experience for kids while they are here," Shepler explains. The Giving Tree gifts and how the child life specialists use them with young patients are a part of creating that positive experience.
(Box)
Giving Tree Locations
You can find Giving Trees at the following locations:
Castleton Square Mall
Clay Terrace Shopping Center
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
Indiana Repertory Theatre
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Participating is simple! Just select a tag from a Giving Tree, purchase the item listed on the tag, and return the unwrapped gift to one of the partner locations or to Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St.Vincent.
Patient-friendly requests include:
Silly Bandz
Craft Items
Stickers
Handheld Games
Infant Toys
Activity Books
Nintendo DSTM Games
Game Boyฎ Games
Character Items
Princess Items
Talking Books
Character Pillows
Boxed Puzzles
Portable DVD players
DVDs
Wooden Puzzles
Action Figures/Sets
Board Games
Journals
Stress Balls
For more information, call Molly Giles at 317-338-7193. View images.
Comments ()
| |
|
|
|
|
