calming
children’s fears Children’s Medical Center develops i-book just for kids
[ H]
aving medical care can
be frightening to
Now, when a Child Life Specialist
The show also discusses “sleepy”
sits down with a child, the patient
air and lets kids pick their favorite
children, especially if they require
can actually take part in an
flavor, if they need anesthesia. And
hospitalization. But Georgia Health
entertaining and informative slide
it lets them spin around in a three-
Sciences Child Life Specialists are
show. They can see the dinosaurs on
dimensional wheelchair.
trained to help kids understand and
the hospital walls, push the elevator
cope with care.
button, see their bed, talk about
new high-tech resource to prepare
their doctor, pick toys off a shelf
patients and families for surgery.
a book of photos to walk children
and color their own dressing gown.
With the iPad, I am able to make
through the facility and prepare
The show calms children’s fears by
it a more engaging process for the
them for hospitalization. But when
telling them what is going to happen
patients,” says Child Life Specialist
the hospital began using iPads,
in a way they can understand.
Jamie Wolfe.
Historically, these specialists used
“I love being able to use this
Kimberly Allen, director of child and adolescent life services, asked Jeff Mastromonico, associate director of educational and collaborative technology, to develop an electronic program to tell the story. Mastromonico and his team did much more. “We took their text and photos and added an interactive
Be a part of your child’s treatment team If your child needs medical care, you’ll want to be involved every step of the way. You can do that at the Children’s Medical Center. As a national leader in a concept known as Patient- and Family-Centered Care, Georgia Health Sciences builds collaborative partnerships between health care providers, patients and family members. To us, families are not an imposition but a part of the treatment team. That’s why we don’t have established visiting hours. You can stay with your child 24/7, even in intensive care. After all, no one knows your child like you do. To schedule an appointment, call 706-721-KIDS (5437) or visit georgiahealth.org/appointment.
element,” he says.
georgiahealth.org
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