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Beds for parents, play equipment and a family room will ease the trauma of hospital stays for sick children when the new Hagley Hospital building opens in Christchurch next month.
Donations totaling $ 3.2 million to the Maia Health Foundation have funded 60 beds for parents to allow them to sleep alongside their children during hospital stays.
Maree Smolenski, a mother of three, said she had lost count of the number of nights she had stayed at Christchurch Hospital with her son Jonty. The 8-year-old suffers from the rare genetic disorder trichothiodystrophy and requires frequent hospital care, including a period of five weeks.
JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON / Stuff
Sam and Maree Smolenski with Jonty, 8, Lachie and Ruby, in their parents’ bed at the new children’s hospital facility.
He said that getting a good night’s sleep was “crucial” for parents, but challenging when forced to sleep in a chair or with a child.
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A plaque recognizes the Smolenski family’s donation towards the parents’ beds.
JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON / Stuff
Donations from the Maia Health Foundation helped equip the hospital’s new playground.
“While we are not looking forward to wearing them … this will make the stay much easier,” said Maree Smolenski.
Maia’s donations have also equipped a children’s play area, family room, and separate family bedrooms.
Pediatrician Dr. Tom Townend said there was a “big” difference between the existing facilities and the new ones.
JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON / Stuff
Pediatrician Dr. Tom Townend says the new facilities will mean better-rested parents and happier, calmer children.
Having a welcoming space for the children to play during the long waits for tests and procedures would help make the hospital stay bearable not only for the children but for their families as well.
“Entertaining a sick child in a small room for hours on end is hard work.”
The new playground would result in “calmer and happier” patients and reduce stress for their siblings, who would have a place “to escape and be kids.”
Christchurch Hospital treats more than 10,000 children as inpatients each year.
The first patient children will move into the new rooms on November 19.
JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON / Stuff
One of the largest new children’s inpatient rooms in the new Christchurch Hospital building offers ample space for family visits.
