Child’s play is considered to be one of the most important preventative measures to be taken to reduce the physical and emotional stress that a child experiences during his/her stay in the hospital.
The kindergarten at Children’s Hospital Kantrida has been in operation since 1951, and consists of two playrooms, where around sixty children spend their time each month. One is in the rehabilitation unit, while the second, opened in September 2017, is located in the haematology and oncology unit.
The role of childcare professionals in the hospital includes the organization of play activities, the provision of support for the family of a sick child, the emotional preparation of a child for medical procedures, the prevention of anxiety in children, encouraging children’s mechanisms of coping with treatment, and participation in the work of the hospital team. All of this is much easier with an adequate toy – toys help children develop motor, social, communication and other skills. While playing, small patients are active and they develop, explore, discover, learn, and understand the world around them.
As part of a corporate charitable initiative, JGL’s employees collected several hundred toys for children at the Clinical Hospital Center Kantrida in December, and realized a team wish to have the hospital be a nice, warm and humane place for treating children!