NEW Gaming Stations for Children’s Unit!
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Ilisa Merz, Child Life Specialist at Niagara Health
Thanks to a generous gift from Child’s Play Charity in partnership with Gamer’s Outreach, the Children’s Health Unit just received five new gaming stations, and our little patients couldn’t be happier.
“Hospital stays can be scary for children,” says Ilisa Merz, child life specialist at Niagara Health. “These gaming stations show kids that they can still have fun while they are here. Just for a little while, they can forget that they are in a hospital.”
Each station is mobile and can easily be moved from room to room. They consist of an Xbox, two controllers and a screen and are pre-loaded with games such as sports and superhero games.
“All we need to do is plug them in, and they are good to go,” Ilisa smiles, adding that the second they were assembled, kids on the unit started using them. “I typically offer them to kids for whom they are age-appropriate. Some kids are already familiar with certain games, and are excited that these new stations have the newest versions available.”
The young patients are not the only ones enjoying the new stations, Ilisa explains. “Parents love them, too. I always tell them that this is the time to be okay with screen time. We want kids to rest and heal, so it’s okay to let them sit and play. The games allow them to escape to a different world, and it takes their minds off the medical experience.”
Seeing the kids happy makes the parents happy as well, Ilisa adds. “It is difficult for parents to relax when their child is going through this medical experience, so when they see that their kids are having fun with the gaming station, I can see their stress levels go down. It tends to be the time when they allow themselves to take a breath, take a break and fill their own cups.”
Ilisa and the entire team at the Children’s Health Unit are grateful to Child’s Play Charity and the many donors in our community who support their work.
“Since we are not a pediatric hospital, we sometimes get forgotten about,” she explains. “Children who are staying at Niagara Health’s pediatric unit are also just kids going through a medical experience and deserve a little bit of magic. They may not be at a big pediatric hospital, but they are going through the same stressful and traumatic experiences, so we are incredibly grateful for anything that takes away from the stress of their hospitalization and lets them be a kid.”
Being able to add a bit of magic to a child’s hospital stay is Ilisa’s favourite part of her job. “When kids first come in, everything seems so big and scary to them. It is my job to take away some of that scary – talk to them at their level, figure out what they’re nervous about and then help take away some of that anxiety. Donations like these bring a little bit of happiness into a scary experience, so to Child’s Play Charity and anyone who donates to our unit, I want to say thank you for making such a big difference for the kids on our floor.”
NEW Gaming Stations for Children’s Unit!
Thanks to a generous gift from Child’s Play Charity in partnership with Gamer’s Outreach, the Children’s Health Unit just received five new gaming stations, and our little patients couldn’t be happier.
“Hospital stays can be scary for children,” says Ilisa Merz, child life specialist at Niagara Health. “These gaming stations show kids that they can still have fun while they are here. Just for a little while, they can forget that they are in a hospital.”
Each station is mobile and can easily be moved from room to room. They consist of an Xbox, two controllers and a screen and are pre-loaded with games such as sports and superhero games.
“All we need to do is plug them in, and they are good to go,” Ilisa smiles, adding that the second they were assembled, kids on the unit started using them. “I typically offer them to kids for whom they are age-appropriate. Some kids are already familiar with certain games, and are excited that these new stations have the newest versions available.”
The young patients are not the only ones enjoying the new stations, Ilisa explains. “Parents love them, too. I always tell them that this is the time to be okay with screen time. We want kids to rest and heal, so it’s okay to let them sit and play. The games allow them to escape to a different world, and it takes their minds off the medical experience.”
Seeing the kids happy makes the parents happy as well, Ilisa adds. “It is difficult for parents to relax when their child is going through this medical experience, so when they see that their kids are having fun with the gaming station, I can see their stress levels go down. It tends to be the time when they allow themselves to take a breath, take a break and fill their own cups.”
Ilisa and the entire team at the Children’s Health Unit are grateful to Child’s Play Charity and the many donors in our community who support their work.
“Since we are not a pediatric hospital, we sometimes get forgotten about,” she explains. “Children who are staying at Niagara Health’s pediatric unit are also just kids going through a medical experience and deserve a little bit of magic. They may not be at a big pediatric hospital, but they are going through the same stressful and traumatic experiences, so we are incredibly grateful for anything that takes away from the stress of their hospitalization and lets them be a kid.”
Being able to add a bit of magic to a child’s hospital stay is Ilisa’s favourite part of her job. “When kids first come in, everything seems so big and scary to them. It is my job to take away some of that scary – talk to them at their level, figure out what they’re nervous about and then help take away some of that anxiety. Donations like these bring a little bit of happiness into a scary experience, so to Child’s Play Charity and anyone who donates to our unit, I want to say thank you for making such a big difference for the kids on our floor.”
