Mattel Children’s Hospital uses medical play, games to calm kids

Nathan, a 17-year-old patient at Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA, spends a portion of his days in the hospital’s play centers, which he said helps him pass the time between his treatments.

“The rooms help me get through the day because it can get boring staying in all day,” Nathan said, who asked to only be referred to by his first name for privacy.

The rooms Nathan visits are some of several playrooms that are geared toward pediatric patients of all ages.

The playrooms, which are stocked with board games and toys, are a way that the hospital provides therapeutic support for pediatric patients, said Amy Bullock, the director of Child Life/Child Development Services.

Mattel also brings in outside guests, ranging from movie stars to yoga teachers, to entertain the patients in the rooms, Bullock said.

One frequent visitor to the hospital is a group called Discovery Arts, volunteers who engage patients in interactive medical play using arts, crafts and music.

Marilyn Clements, cofounder and executive director of Discovery Arts, said the program she offers is completely about choice.

“We have no expectations from the children; we just bring in the tools and let them decide what to do,” Clements said.

When working with the patients, Clements said she sees a remarkable transformation.

“Since the patients are so ill, I wasn’t sure if (play) would work, but I see them light up and transform right under my eyes,” she said.

One of Nathan’s favorite rooms is the Starlight Room, which was built primarily for older children and teenagers.

Bullock said the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation, a nonprofit organization that builds play centers in hospitals, founded the Starlight Room. The foundation also provided Mattel with “fun centers,” which Bullock described as televisions on a stand with game consoles attached.

Nathan said the feature he enjoyed most about the Starlight Room was the ability to chat online with other patients across the country.

“I’ve made many friends through chatting online,” he said.

Child life specialist Sara Devaney said Mattel also utilizes medical play, which she said mitigates the anxiety that children have about staying in the hospital and prepares children for invasive procedures.

“We have patients paint with syringes or make collages with medical items such as tongue depressor, alcohol wipes and medicine cups. They explore with these items in a non-threatening environment, (which) can alleviate fears and anxieties,” Devaney said.

Devaney uses specially made dolls known as “shadow buddies” or “muslin dolls” to demonstrate the invasive procedures and make them seem less threatening.

“If a patient is going to get an IV placed, often times a child life specialist will provide the real medical equipment used for a child to engage in rehearsal of the procedure by practicing on the doll themselves with guidance,” she said.

In addition to medical play, Bullock said the hospital uses relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and guided imagery to allow the patients to develop their own coping skills.

Hillary Gan, a child life specialist, said medical play is only one of the many forms of play that the hospital offers its patients.

“Young children use play to learn about their environment, whether it’s medical or not,” Gan said.

Medical play is not available in the Starlight Room or any of the traditional playrooms, in order to allow the children to have fun in a low-pressure setting.

“The Starlight Room is a less structured environment without procedures or medical play,” Gan said.

If the patients are able to go home, Bullock said Mattel takes an active role in easing them back to the community.

“If a child was a goalie on a soccer team, we’ll make sure the other kids on the team know what’s going on and show them how to continue to be supportive of their friend,” she said.

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