Day care kids put on a show for Grey Nuns patients
Visits a part of a holistic approach to health
Decked out in colourful Bollywood outfits, children from the Tawa Montessori Day Care and Out-of-School Care Centre danced their way into the hearts of stroke and geriatrics patients at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital on June 27, 2012. The children, aged between three and five, performed for patients, staff and a few parents.
“It’s refreshing to see the little ones. They are always fun,” said Joyce Hewitt, patient.
For staff at the unit, the festive mood and bursting young energy is part of the healing process. The visits are intended to inspire, energize and add value to a patient’s day.
“Engaging and working with the community is part of the holistic approach we focus on. Our patients light up when they see the kids. The visits give them a reason to get out of bed. It’s a great opportunity for our patients to see something out of the ordinary and get involved with the community scene,” said Sarah Baker, program lead, stroke and geriatrics.
“Their own grandchildren are not able to visit often so it’s nice for them to be able to get those interactions,” added Sarah.
This is a new adventure for the children, who recently started making visits to the stroke and geriatrics unit. Shelina Gangji, director of the day care centre, kickstarted the project. She contacted Volunteers Services at the Grey Nuns to ask about taking the children for a visit at the hospital.
“I thought it would be good to share the children’s talents with the community,” said Shelina.
The children had their first debut at the hospital in mid-June, when they performed a Cinderella play. The first visit was such as a hit that regular visits have been scheduled for the last Wednesday of every month.
Over 19 children participated in the June 27 visit, which also coincided with Canadian Multicultural Day.
“The children have performed many different dancing, including German and Chinese dances. They got to learn about those cultures. I hope their learning about multiculturalism encourages them to accept everybody as they grow. We all need to accept who we are, and everyone should also accept us for ourselves,” said Shelina.
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You can also follow the story in local news CBC News Edmonton - video.
To learn more about the day care, visit Tawa Montessori Day Care & Out-of-School Care Centre