No kid wants to spend time in the hospital, “It’s a stressful environment that they’re in. They may be having many invasive or painful procedures done. They’re away from their family, away from their friends, they’re missing out on normal activities like school, all those holidays, and celebrations.”
However, Certified Child Life Specialists like Sarah Mallardi are here to help. “The biggest part is just helping kids normalize the hospital. So putting on events while they’re here for holidays, celebrating birthdays, just making this whole experience a little bit easier for our patients and families.”
She can help prep them for surgeries, “I’ll help them understand why they’re having surgery. I’ll show them pictures of the operating room. I’ll show them actual medical materials like an anesthesia mask and get them familiar with the whole process,” said Mallardi.
She can also accompany them to the operating room. “They can drive power wheel cars to the OR, or wagons. They can walk back, we can watch movies, bring toys, so it’s really rewarding to see how my role can help a very anxious child now drive back to their own surgery,” said Mallardi. From fun activities to education, child life specialists are an important part of the care team for the kids at Golisano Children’s Hospital. “Just bringing any kind of fun we can to the hospital.”
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