Arts attack on angst

Utilising the arts to entertain sick children doesn't just help young patients relax – it teaches parents something too, writes SYLVIA THOMPSON

HOSPITAL STAFF have become much better at improving the atmosphere in children’s wards to make a child’s stay in hospital less stressful for parents and children alike.

Brightly-coloured murals along corridors, playrooms filled with toys, and arts and crafts activities all help to divert attention away from pain, illness and general discomfort.

The Scales and Tales project at Cork University Hospital (CUH) is a new initiative which offers children in hospital welcome distraction from their ailments on Saturday mornings when the wards are quiet, and the playrooms and hospital school are closed.

Led by artist and storyteller, Fiona Dowling, and musician, Caoimhe Conlon, the project is an innovative blend of music and stories. Dowling tells stories – everything from nursery rhymes to riddles – while Conlon creates sound effects with musical instruments. Children and adults are encouraged to join in with sound effects, either using their voice or choosing an instrument from the musical trolley. They can also contribute to the stories.

“Children are constantly creating their own songs, stories and pictures while at home and the art forms regularly overlap, so it is a natural extension to incorporate this on the ward to allow the children to contribute to express themselves artistically while in hospital,” says Conlon, who is both a flautist and a music facilitator with the organisation Music Alive (musicalive.ie).

Staff in the paediatric department have also welcomed the project. Marie Watson is the clinical nurse manager in the paediatric department at CUH.

“The project creates a very happy and safe distraction for the children on a day when there isn’t much going on for them. They might be nervous and worried about what’s going on or waiting for surgery and the stories and music provide a bit of entertainment which is not medically orientated,” she says.

“Parents love it. It gives them a break to go and have a coffee or they can sit down and listen to the stories which subliminally teaches them how to sit down and read to the children. We’re great believers in the benefits of books.”

Edelle Nolan, the arts co-ordinator at Cork University Hospital, says that is particularly beneficial to have the visits at weekends when children have visitors that can’t come during the weekdays.

“Having a project where siblings and other relatives can participate in a fun and playful art project brings the whole family together, creating happy memories of their hospital stay and visit,” she says.

According to Nolan, research has proven that positive memories during hospitalisation, especially for children who are in hospital frequently or for long periods, improves socialisation right in to adulthood.

“We can see up to 20 parents and 20 children in a morning, going from bed to bed and sometimes getting everyone together in a group,” explains Conlon.

By using both storytelling and music, the artists say that more people will become involved. “Some people are more interested in music, so they can be drawn into the story through the music,” Conlon adds.

“Babies will respond to music and sometimes teenagers will want to improvise with the instruments,” adds Dowling (fionadowling.com). That said, she also offers to do spontaneous portraits of the children or their parents as an ice-breaker.

“I might say, ‘Would you like me to draw you?’ and the child says no, but then if I say, ‘Would you like me to draw your mum or dad?’ and the child often says yes.”

“The most moving moment for me was when we were asked to go see a little girl about two who was about to go to the operating theatre,” says Dowling.

“Her mum was extremely tense and so was she. When we started to tell her a story, the little girl started to dance along to the music. The mother was so relieved to see her respond so well. It’s moments like this that you know why you do this work.”

The Scales and Tales project is co-ordinated by Helium, an arts and health initiative which facilitates workshops and site-specific performances for children in hospitals. The project is part of Helium’s Artist on Call programme which has visited more than 400 children and 500 parents, siblings and friends of children in hospital since it began in 2009.

For more information, see helium.ie

ARTS AND HEALTH: GETTING IN TOUCH

A new online guide to organisations working in arts and health will be launched tomorrow. The website, artsandhealth.ie, includes contact details of artists, musicians and theatre companies who work in this growing area. It also has case studies of arts and health projects across Ireland. The site has been funded by the Arts Council and put together by Create, the national development agency for collaborative arts in social and community contexts (create-ireland.ie), and the Waterford Healing Arts Trust (waterfordhealingarts.com).