The staff psychosocial care of the Princess Máxima Center support children in the difficult moments during treatment. Think of preparing for a difficult investigation. Or aftercare after a bad news conversation with the doctor. Now that the medical-pedagogical staff works from home because of corona, they came up with an alternative: video calling with a special tablet. Confidential conversations cannot simply be made with a smartphone. After all, the connection must be absolutely safe.
Very curious
Meanwhile, medical-pedagogical staff Anke and Chantal have had their first conversations. Anke with a 13-year-old girl, Chantal with an 8-year-old boy. Anke: 'For teenagers it is of course quite normal to talk to others via a screen. It was a really meaningful and nice conversation together.' Chantal noticed that her much younger patient thought it was funny. 'Normally I almost can't get him away from his Playstation. But now he immediately came to watch when his mother came to him with the tablet. He was very curious who called for him.'
Customized care
Anke and Chantal find the tablet a nice addition to their usual care, especially in these circumstances. Chantal: 'With a young child you can do less with a tablet than in a room. Through play you make contact there and you can see how a child is doing. With a teenager, video calling is probably easier anyway. And with very young kids, say up to six yearsold, you really have to be in one room together, to be able to play. We don't work with many words with the little ones.'
Remaining involved
Anke had not seen the girl since her recent surgery. Through the tablet, Anke was able to discuss with her very well how things were going. 'However, I noticed that you see less of the other person. Where body language often says a lot about how a child feels. When you're really together, it's easier to respond to emotions. With a difficult topic of conversation, that's important.' Either way, Anke likes to be able to make calls with the tablet. 'I work at home more often now, but I can still stay involved with the children for whom I am here.'
More information
The tablet can be borrowed for the Skype contact moment with your child. Afterwards, return the tablet. The Quality of Life department is investigating whether the tablets can also be used as a tool for tailored care, regardless of the actual corona crisis. For example, if a child is having treatment and care outside the Máxima or lives far away from Utrecht.
Want to know more about the video calling with the employees of psychosocial care? Please contact medischpedagogischezorg@prinsesmaximacentrum.nl.