UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Child Life Services: Information for Patients

I N F O R M AT I O N F O R P AT I E N T S

Child Life Services Creating opportunities for hospitalized children, teens and their families to play, learn and discover every day.

Child life specialists and teachers work closely with children, adolescents and their families to ensure that each patient’s developmental, emotional and psychosocial needs are being met while they are cared for at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.

Welcome to Child Life Services A hospital stay can be a challenging and unfamiliar experience for children and their families. Child Life Services at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital helps pediatric patients and their families adjust to and understand hospitalization, illness, injury and treatment.

Child life specialists and teachers work closely with the medical team to provide the best possible care for each child and family.

“ Child life specialists made our daughter’s hospitalization as comfortable as possible, and they made a world of difference to our family.”

— Kate D.

Child life specialists are available to help prepare children for medical treatments and procedures, which are explained using teaching tools, special dolls and medical equipment. We help determine each child’s level of understanding, including any misconceptions about the hospital experience. Child life specialists also help children develop coping strategies like imagery, distraction and relaxation to reduce anxiety.

Please let your nurse know if you would like to speak with a member of the Child Life Services staff, or call us directly to learn more about specific resources for patients.

✆ Child Life Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (415) 353-1203

“ The creative arts program has been the best thing for my daughter. If it had not been for her being exposed to painting, I think she would have given up.”

— Tammy Brown

Helping Children and their Families Cope Child Life Services offers a number of programs designed to make the hospital experience as positive as possible for both patients and their families. These programs include:  Age-appropriate activities, such as games, reading and art projects  School program  Therapeutic and medical play  Support before, during and following procedures  Pain management and coping education  Orientation to the hospital through tours and individualized play  Family and sibling support  Therapeutic art and music programs  Visits from community groups and celebrities  Holiday celebrations  Animal-assisted therapy program  Weekly bingo and other closed-circuit TV activities  Education on growth and development, reactions to hospitalization

and going home

We offer music programs for kids

Completing schoolwork in the classroom

Patient services Pediatric Prepare Clinic Surgery can be frightening and confusing for children, teens, siblings and parents. In the Pediatric Prepare Clinic, child life specialists help children and families better understand surgery or medical procedures by using developmentally appropriate materials such as dolls, medical equipment and photo albums.

✆ Pediatric Prepare Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (415) 353-1150 Marie Wattis School Attending school is a normal part of childhood and we encourage children to continue their learning while in the hospital. The classroom offers educational support to all inpatient children and their siblings who are enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade.

✆ Marie Wattis School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (415) 353-1310 Barry Bonds Family Foundation Playroom The playroom is a safe, stress-free place where children know they won’t face medical procedures. The playroom offers toys, arts and crafts, medical play and more for children of all ages and is staffed by child life specialists and trained volunteers.

✆ Barry Bonds Family Foundation Playroom . . . . . . . . . (415) 353-1221 All Stars Technology Room and Deck The All Stars Technology Room, made possible by the All Stars Helping Kids organization, provides children and adolescents with supervised Internet access and technology-based activities, as well as creative activities like music and art. The courtyard offers children and families a quiet outdoor retreat.

✆ All Stars Technology Room and Deck . . . . . . . . . . . . (415) 353-1221 Teen Lounge The Teen Lounge is for patients and siblings 13 years of age and older.

Teens can participate in activities, listen to music, play video games and socialize with other teens.

✆ Teen Lounge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . evenings: (415) 353-1310

Family services Family Resource Room Child Life Services recognizes that a child’s illness affects the entire family and offers support to parents, siblings and the rest of the family. We work closely with families to minimize the stress of the hospital experience.

The Family Resource Room provides a library of information and resources for families about health, illness and coping with hospitalization. There are computers with Internet access, free Wi-Fi, phones and a copier to help parents keep up with the demands of life outside the hospital. Coffee and tea are provided throughout the day.

✆ Family Resource Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (415) 353-1410 Our Family Advisory Council gives families a voice in decisions that affect patient care and family experiences.

Sibling support Child life specialists also are available to provide emotional support for brothers and sisters, to encourage expression of feelings and to increase their understanding of the hospital. Children of all ages are welcome to visit but must have a health clearance from a nurse.

Additional resources Parents can join our “Making Memories” scrap book support group, learn how to perform infant massage, get a 10-minute chair massage or learn how to knit in our in “Stitches” knitting group.

Resident dog Nilani with kids in courtyard

Our staff Specialists Child life specialists are professionally certified, educated at the graduate level in child development and specialize in working with children and adolescents in medical settings.

School teachers Our school teachers, credentialed by the California Department of Education, work with children in the classroom and at the bedside.

They create independent study projects that meet California standards of education and they coordinate with each child’s school to ensure class requirements are met.

Creative arts team An art therapist, a music therapist and other specially trained artists are available to encourage patients’ self-expression of thoughts and feelings related to hospitalization. Children, teens or parents may request a visit or inquire about scheduled times and locations of activities.

Child life volunteers Volunteers, who are trained by child life staff, help supervise play and spend time with children when parents need a break. Whether playing a board game, reading a book aloud or holding a baby, our volunteers help kids feel like kids. Parents or staff can request a volunteer through the child life department.

We offer support for the whole family

Art therapy in the playroom

"

printed on partially recycled paper • 9.11-CH-11-00959

Child Life Services 505 Parnassus Ave., L181, Box 0210 San Francisco, CA 94143 Phone: (415) 353-1203 Email: childlife@ucsfhealth.org Website: www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/childlife Maps and directions: www.ucsfhealth.org/pathway

How you can help Support Child Life Services by making a financial contribution, or volunteer your time to brighten the stay of our young patients and their families.

UCSF Development Office . . . . . (415) 476-6922 Volunteer Services . . . . . . . . . . . (415) 353-1196