13 May 2019
New tech for children at Ashburton Hospital Children in Ashburton Hospital’s Acute Admissions Unit (AAU) will now be kept entertained during their stay thanks to a donation of two brand new tablets by Ashburton New World supermarket last week. Since 2013, the AAU has been promoting the benefits of ‘play’ for children with their Play with a Purpose programme. The programme operates throughout Ashburton Hospital and aims to help children recover and learn through play. Previously, Ashburton Hospital’s AAU had a DVD player to help their younger patients recover and to take their minds off their illnesses. It also proved a great distraction Brenda Close - Director of Nursing (left) and Karly Smith - Nurse Educator at Ashburton for when a procedure was being Hospital (right) receive the brand new tablet’s from Ashburton New World Emma Rooney performed. However, the DVD player (Photo credit: Susan Sandys, Ashburton Guardian) stopped working earlier this year and the AAU’s nurses started looking for a more modern Karly Smith, Registered Nurse in the AAU, says distraction replacement. plays a huge part in caring for children who are often experiencing painful and scary situations. When Ashburton New World caught wind of this they came up with a solution for the AAU in the form of two new tablets, explains the supermarket’s Store Manager Emma Rooney.
“These tablets will be a great resource and the children who come through AAU are really going to benefit from having them here.
“A lot of people don’t want to be in hospital, and we just saw an opportunity to do something that can help families and children during a difficult time,” says Emma.
“We are thrilled with these tablets and we can’t wait for our young patients to start using them!” says Karly.
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