Children and young people with mental illness at the Queensland Children’s Hospital now have a new strategy for self-regulation, thanks to your generous support.
Sometimes it is the simple things that make the greatest impact and the addition of egg chairs in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Units at the Queensland Children’s Hospital have been the difference for children and young people with mental illness.
For many young people, environmental sensory strategies can help regulate their emotions and avoid escalation of a situation.
This is where Children’s Hospital Foundation funding helped the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Units to purchase four new egg chairs to offer a physically contained and low-stimulus sensory environment.
According to senior occupational therapist at the Queensland Children’s Hospital, Catherine Smith, the egg chairs have helped young people block out external noises, relax and calm their bodies.
“Over the past three months, the chairs have offered over 100 young people a chance to calm their bodies independently in a low-stimulus sensory environment. This has helped them think of ways to use environmental sensory strategies to manage their emotions upon their return home,” Ms Smith said.
Because of your generosity, children have reported the ability to “feel safe” and can “chill out and turn down the volume of my brain” in the egg chairs.
Children’s Hospital Foundation CEO, Lyndsey Rice said: “At the Children’s Hospital Foundation, we want to ensure every child has every chance to thrive. We recognise that a child’s mental health is just as important as their physical wellbeing in their overall health journey.”
The four egg chairs were made possible with the generous support of Woolworths and their customers through the Easter Fundraising Appeal.
Since our partnership began over 35 years ago, Woolworths has helped raise more than $65 million for some of Queensland’s sickest kids and their families.
Head here to find out how your support is the difference every kid deserves.
The difference that shapes their world
Through supporting the Children’s Hospital Foundation, you can improve childhoods and ensure all children and young people have access to treatment - sooner.
