Abstract
Play is the universal language of childhood and the time and opportunity to play is every child’s right. The role of play as a vehicle for communication, a tool for distraction and its value in the holistic development of a normal child is without dispute. The role and value of play increases proportionately when a child is made more vulnerable through illness or disability. Despite this, providing time and opportunities to play can be overlooked or considered to be of little importance or relevance when the focus of the adult carers is the amelioration of clinical symptoms of the illness and on lessening the psychological impact the illness may have on the child. This paper outlines the role and the value of play as an integral component in the provision of palliative care for children with chronic, life-threatening and life-limiting conditions. It will show how providing appropriate equipment, sufficient time and relevant play opportunities not only improves the very sick child’s psychological wellbeing, but also allows the child to cast aside the confines and restrictions imposed upon them by their illness and for a few golden moments to be nothing more than a child at play.
Highlights
Introduction“The sky’s awake so I’m awake and I have to play”. It is generally agreed that play is an important part of children’s development, education and learning, and that play develops with the mind, and the mind develops with play [1,2,3,4,5,6]
Play is the universal language of childhood and the time and opportunity to play is every child’s right
While more than 50% of these deaths are from preventable causes [7] there are still millions of children who will die this year or whose lives are threatened by diseases such as cancer, heart disease and genetic conditions
Summary
“The sky’s awake so I’m awake and I have to play”. It is generally agreed that play is an important part of children’s development, education and learning, and that play develops with the mind, and the mind develops with play [1,2,3,4,5,6]. As responsible adults our overwhelming impulse when faced with a very sick and vulnerable child is to find ways to improve that child’s health, take away distressing symptoms and to provide the most appropriate medications and therapies It does not sit well with us that children suffer and die, but they do. While more than 50% of these deaths are from preventable causes [7] there are still millions of children who will die this year or whose lives are threatened by diseases such as cancer, heart disease and genetic conditions. While the children cared for at this hospice all have an illness or condition that threatens or will likely shorten their lives, on this warm afternoon in December 2008 most looked remarkably robust and were engaged in exuberant play, both in and out of doors. For a few golden moments of time on that warm December day Lebo was able to be nothing more, and most certainly nothing less, than a child at play
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