Helping children with life-limiting conditions enjoy play this Christmas
This Christmas, the Children’s Hospice at Home services we fund will be helping children with life-limiting conditions to spend time with family and enjoy the world of play. Find out more about the work that the specialist play team does, and how Pepper helps to keep the team on the road.
Can you help us raise £10,000 this Christmas to support the work of the specialist play team?
This Christmas is all about play!
For children, Christmas is all about play and spending time with family and siblings. Children learn through play; it is an important part of any child’s development, as well as how they develop skills and make sense of their world. Through play, children build foundational skills in language, problem-solving, socialisation, and coordination, all while having fun!
But for a child living with a life-limiting condition, it’s not always possible to enjoy play without a little help.
The Pepper Foundation funds the work done by the Children’s Hospice at Home at Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care, including the work of the specialist play team.
Watch our video to learn more about the specialist play team that the Pepper Foundation funds.
Play is an essential part of any child’s development
The play team provides play sessions for children and their families, both at home and at the Grove House facility in St Albans.
The team designs play sessions for each individual child and their circumstances. That may mean supporting a child who is physically active to develop new ways to play, or to support one with sensory needs. Play sessions can also include siblings and the children of current or former patients.
Play is an essential part of life for children living with a life-limiting condition; they can have a lot going on in their home life, as well as regular medical check-ups and requirements, so time made for fun is extremely important to their health and well-being.
For a child with a life-limiting condition, play can help to develop their resilience and gives them the ability to benefit from mixing with other children in similar circumstances who understand what they are going through.
“When a child is diagnosed with a long-term, life-limiting illness, you can get so caught up in a medical world that you forget to just spend time together as a family, having fun in the moment and making memories.”
Karen Raney-Marr, Play Specialist at Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care
How do families benefit from specialist play?
For many children receiving care from the children’s hospice at home service, visits from a Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care play specialist are as essential as visits from any other healthcare professional. A visit from a play specialist often becomes the highlight of a child’s week!
Taylor receives care from the children’s hospice at home service. Play Specialist, Karen visits the family every month at home.
“He absolutely loves the play sessions,” says Michelle. “Karen comes in with her big box of toys and he goes straight up to her to take away the box. Then he tries to hide the cars at the end of the session, so he won’t have to give them back!”
As well as his favourite toy cars, Karen brings arts and crafts activities to do with Taylor during the play session. “I just sit and watch them,” smiles Michelle. “It’s so lovely to see him enjoying himself.”