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| Where can you find us? | C3-401B |
| Who to contact with questions? | Michelle Wilband, Coordinator Michelle.Wilband@lhsc.on.ca Telephone: 519-685-8500 Extension 52097 |
| Who to contact when you are making a referral? | Michelle Wilband, Coordinator Michelle.Wilband@lhsc.on.ca Telephone: 519-685-8500 Extension 52097 |
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Our Service
A hospital visit can be a challenging and unfamiliar experience for infants, children, youth and families. It is often a source of tremendous stress and anxiety. Child Life can help families adjust to and understand hospitalization, medical procedures, illness and injury. Child Life Specialists will make every effort to provide a comfortable and safe environment where infants, children and youth can learn, grow and develop to their full potential.
Our Team
Child Life specialists are members of the paediatric health care team who focus on the emotional and development needs of children and youth, using play and other forms of communication to help reduce the stress of health care experiences for children and their families. He/she provides preparation, education, play and psychosocial support on issues relating to acute and chronic medical conditions
Child life specialists….
- Assist families in understanding their reactions and concerns to the hospital experience through the use of accurate and honest information.
- Share information with you and your family, which includes explanations for medical experiences, sequence of events and attention to what you may see, hear, smell, taste and feel.
- Create opportunities that allow you and your family to explore and handle “pretend” and/or actual medical equipment. This may increase your comfort level and familiarity with medical care.
- Help you and your family select and rehearse actions and routines which are most helpful during your health care experiences (e.g., procedures, tests and exams).
- Suggest coping techniques for procedures such as distraction, deep breathing and relaxation techniques.
- May be present during medical procedures, providing information about medical events, promoting your own coping style and offering support to you and your family.
- Offer support to family members such as siblings by helping them adjust to the hospital environment and understand health care experiences
- Provide supervised groups and individualized play experiences for you and your family.
- Offer and adapt activities when you are on bed rest and/or in isolation.
- Coordinate holiday entertainment, special visitor events, and recognized significant and familial experiences such as holidays and birthdays
- Design all play and activity areas as welcoming, safe and healthy environments.
What to Expect of Your Visit with Us
Child Life Services are available in the Paediatric Inpatient Units, the Paediatric Medical Day Unit, the Paediatric Day Surgery, the Operating Rooms, the Post Anaesthesia Care Unit, Paediatric Critical Care Unit, and Burns and Plastics Unit.
