CHEO Child Life program helping kids feel at ease while at the hospital
A hospital experience can be scary for a young child or teen. Whether it’s a serious diagnosis, life changing surgery or the start of chemotherapy, the Child Life Services program at CHEO aims to help kids feel at ease.
For 10-year-old Audrey Sine, it makes dealing with cancer less stressful.
“I like hanging out with them and I like doing crafts,” said Sine. “They're very fun to play with and stuff.”
At CHEO, child life specialists bring the healing power of play through games, crafts and music therapy.
“We are the protectors of childhood,” said Maureen Jones, who works in the Child Life Services department. “We've been given an opportunity to enter a field or an environment where children are often stressed and often exposed to having to build resilience much earlier than the average child, because illness is a journey that can have some significant ups and downs.”
The program has touched thousands of lives over nearly 50 years.
Denise Alcock, first brought the idea to CHEO in the 1970’s.
“It’s wonderful just to see how it's grown and developed, because I always feel what we did was lay a foundation and grow a program. But it has grown magnificently,” said Alcock, who is now retired.
What started as five staff members, has grown to 20, with nearly no wait list for patients.
It’s all funded by community donors and is accessible to any child at the hospital.
“There's no one-size-fits-all, so it's getting to know the child and it's usually through, as I said, assessment, but also building that therapeutic relationship, having an opportunity to have environments like the playroom, which are considered safe spaces,” said Jones.
For the young ones in the program, it’s a chance to feel like a kid again while building resilience for the challenges ahead.
“I love being creative,” said Sine.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Robert Pickton to remain in medically induced coma until later this week: police
Serial killer Robert Pickton will remain in a medically induced coma for at least the next few days following an attack in a Quebec prison Sunday, according to police spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu.
Charlie Colin, founding member of the pop-rock band Train, dies at 58
Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train, best known for their early-aughts hits like 'Drops of Jupiter' and 'Meet Virginia,' has died. He was 58.
'Five feet nothing': Pickton's safety likely behind Quebec transfer, says ex-prison judge
When serial killer Robert Pickton was transferred from British Columbia's Kent Institution to a maximum security prison in Quebec about six years ago, correctional authorities gave no public explanation or confirmation at the time, citing privacy.
'I feel betrayed': Ottawa-area customers out thousands of dollars warn of bad faith contractor
A group of people from eastern Ontario and western Quebec is issuing a warning about Dennis Walker and his company Vue Windows.
Fancy pigeon outfitted in custom diaper has free rein in B.C. family home
When Chrissy Chin volunteered to take in a fancy pigeon abandoned on a park bench, she never imagined she would one day be ordering custom-made diapers for the bird – who lives in her house and has become a member of the family.
'We'll need all hands on deck': Details emerge after deadly boat crash near Kingston
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
WestJet planning new fare category for travellers willing to forgo carry-on bag
WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag.
5 dead and at least 35 hurt in Iowa tornado: officials
Five people died and at least 35 were hurt as powerful tornadoes ripped through Iowa Tuesday, with one carving a path of destruction through the town of Greenfield, officials said.
Woman found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017 matches identity of missing person in Switzerland
Genetic genealogy has helped Toronto police identify a woman who was found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017.