Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre’s emergency department has found a way to ease the stress of young patients, their parents and staff.
In June 2010, nurses started giving out free coping kits, a bag filled with small toys for children up to age 12 designed to encourage specific coping behaviours. The kits include soft toys for comfort, noisemakers for distraction and focus toys, like puzzles, to help children relax during medical procedures.
Ponoka parent Kim Gerein said the toys immediately captured the attention of her two-year-old son Grady.
“His mood changed instantly once he got them. I was very thankful it was available. I had never seen anything like this,” said Gerein on Tuesday.
“It just made our visit a lot easier.”
Gerein and her husband Mike brought their son for emergency care at the Red Deer hospital in June. Grady, who has a rare genetic disorder that causes softening of the bones, fell down at home. He hit his nose and his teeth injured his lips.
Grady’s kit had a small rubber duck, crayons and a small colouring book, stickers and his favourite — a ring and soap to blow bubbles.
“Bubbbbbbbles,” squealed Grady as he watched emergency nurse Nova Bais blow him bubbles on Tuesday while his mother talked about how the kits helped her family.
“As soon as he got the kit, it just changed his day completely.”
Bais developed a proposal for the kits after she read on online story about how they were being used in the emergency department at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Mass.
Red Deer Regional has distributed 80 to 100 kits each month over the past 12 months. It began as a pilot project and is now part of hospital protocol.
Red Deer Regional Health Foundation is funding the kits, which also include information on how parents can help ease their children’s stress at the hospital.
Bais said the response has been “amazing.” In emergency situations, parents don’t have time to grab toys or games from home.
Children receive a coping kit from the primary nurse on their case when they are admitted to an emergency bed during their assessment.
“It’s been a great tool for us as nurses to help us build a relationship with patients. Often there are things we need to do to the patient that aren’t very nice, such as holding them down to get blood work,” Bais said.
Previously, the emergency department only had toys like crayons and colouring books that young patients could use on site. Now children get to take the toys in their coping kits home.
More than 8,000 pediatric visits are made to the Red Deer emergency department annually.
szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com