March is Child Life Month
Posted about 2 months ago in Awareness
March is Child Life Month. Child life specialists are pediatric health care professionals who work with children and families in hospitals and other areas to help them cope with the challenges of hospitalization and illness. They have advanced training in the growth and development of children and provide age-appropriate information to help prepare children emotionally for stressful experiences.
Child life specialists help pediatric patients and their siblings in many ways including:
- understanding their own or a family member's diagnosis using age-appropriate teaching
- reducing anxiety and fear by helping children prepare for invasive procedures and providing distraction methods during procedures like IV starts, lumbar punctures, etc.
- using therapeutic play to help children cope with psychosocial difficulties
- providing grief and trauma resources to aid in healing
- collaborating with families and providing support for patients’ siblings and family
Did you know child life specialists are not just employed at children's hospitals? Many are actually working in adult ICUs and other adult patient areas. These child life specialists help the children/grandchildren of adult patients who are critically or terminally ill. You may have a child life specialist employed at your hospital who is available to help the children of your patients and/or give you resources and tips to help them.
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