They also have lots of questions when they visit the hospital and Children's Medical Center of Dallas' child life specialists can help with the answers. Child life specialists explain procedures in terms patients and their siblings understand. Oftentimes, specialists engage children in medical play, showing them how to give a teddy bear an injection or listen to its heart with a play stethoscope. Activities Child life specialists work with patients to help them adapt to their surroundings. They can be found playing with children in the playrooms or helping create an artistic masterpiece with glitter and glue.
Older patients enjoy a game of pool or a lesson on the computer.
With the oldest child life program in Texas and one of the largest in the country, Children's is dedicated to helping its hospitalized patients develop normally despite health problems. Tours Specialists also offer tours for healthy children in hopes of demystifying the hospital and dispelling youngsters' fears. Older children can be told about their medical condition, the procedures required and other details about hospitalization earlier than younger children. A younger child should generally not be told until a few days before the hospitalization. Try to answer your child's questions about the hospital honestly.