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Kids Count! Designing a Child-Friendly Facility
By Judith Phillips Otto How do you appeal to pint-sized patients and keep
them smiling throughout their visits? Some facility owners with a
sizeable pediatric caseload tell how they do it.
Ron Manganiello, New England Orthotic and Prosthetic
Systems (NEOPS), based in Connecticut, notes that NEOPS facilities
are partnerships with the owner/managers, and the specifics of each
facilitys design are up to the partner/manager. Some facilities
have fish tanks, which are a good ideavery soothing and very
child-friendly, Manganiello says. Some have special pediatric
rooms, and all have toys and toy chests as well as a TV and a video
library with favorite childrens subjects.
Matthew Albuquerque, CPO, vice
president and founder of Next Step O&P, headquartered in
Manchester, New Hampshire, also knows that it is important to
create an atmosphere that is comfortable to childrenso he serves
his extensive pediatric population from a two-years-new facility
that boasts unique features that are eye-appealing, interactive,
and irresistible to kids!
Interactive Rain Forest Murals
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Photos courtesy of Next Step O&P. Wall art by Jean Aranson. |
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Next Step created a small pediatric waiting room
with original murals on all four walls, painted by Jean Aranson,
the sister of Albuquerques business partner, Peter Couture, CP. The
rain forest theme is painted over layers of magnetic paint, so many
of the rooms toys and animalsfish, tree frogs, flowers, snakes, and
reptilesstick to the wall wherever children put them.
Playfully, Aranson painted her brothers face on a sloth, and
Albuquerque is also depicted in pith helmet with walkng stick,
making his way through the jungle.
"The kids like to cover up my face using the magnets--fish, tree
frogs, flowers, snakes, and reptiles," Albuquerque said. "I'm not
sure what that means, but the point is that they have fun, and
forget why they're here.
"Even adults enjoy playing with the magnets," he admitted,
"although adults aren't allowed when kids are in there--it's their
place!"
The mood lasts even when they proceed into the pediatric fitting
room. Another wraparound mural immerses the entire room in an
underwater ocean theme--with bright fish and undersea life painted
everywhere--even on the sink and cabinets. Nets are draped over
lights, and decorated with starfish and lobsters.
A Place To Have Fun
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Emilio Sanchez, age two, sits securely with mom, Patty Sanchez, as Lisa Urso, CPO, gets ready to cast. Fitting tables are intentionally built 3–5” higher than prefab tables so that the patient’s legs are more easily accessible. |
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"A treatment room shouldn't look like a place
where they're going to get a shot," said Albuquerque. "It should be
just another playroom--a place to have fun.
"When I hear moms say their kids love coming back, that they
don't cry, and have no fear, I know our design choice was a good
one. Children and their feelings are very important to us. They
should feel comfortable and at home before we ever start examining
them.
"Many people say that they've heard we're a child-friendly
facility--and that's a good feeling."
Video, Candy Gets You Through
Ted Trower, CPO, A-S-C Orthotics &
Prosthetics, Jackson, Michigan, reports that his facility has a TV
and VCR suspended from the ceiling, as in a hospital room, and he
keeps a small library of videotapes selected to appeal to a variety
of age groups--from Teletubbies to SpongeBob SquarePants. "With the
TV on the ceiling, the patient can still see it well while I'm
casting their legs or feet, and it doesn't take up any floor space
in a very small room. That and a piece of candy can get you through
most of the kids who have reasonable cognitive skills."
Colors Calm Kids
Lisa Urso, CPO, just opened her new
facility, Albuquerque Orthotics & Prosthetics, Albuquerque, New
Mexico, in February. Since 75 percent of her business is pediatric,
she spent a lot of time planning her pediatric room. "Everything
about the design of my pediatric room is deliberate. The experts'
say that black and white encourages intellectual development, but a
lot of stark black and white can set off a neurologically impaired
child. The colors of my new pediatric room coincide with the
Finding Nemo color scheme. The water is calming, hence a lot of
blues are used. The sea life is colorful and happy. Nemo's friends
are pink, yellow, light green, light purple, and blue; they all
flow together to create a room that the child wants to be in.
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A popular assortment of current videos allows young patients to tune in to a favorite story and tune out the casting process at Albuquerque O&P. Nemo was picked because of his “lucky fin”; he never lets his smaller fin get in the way of achieving his goals. |
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"These kids have seen way too many hospitals and
doctor's offices that are stark white with all kinds of scary metal
exam objects," Urso explained. "I keep my casting/measuring things
out of sight until needed, and have even put stickers on the ones I
have to use, so they look friendlier. My M/L stick looked like a
duck to me, so I put goofy eyes and a beak on the end of it and
sometimes make it go, Quack quack' before I use it on the
child."
Urso stresses that the choice of which cartoon characters to use
in your decor is important, allowing children to relate to friendly
characters they know. "I remember a children's hospital who painted
their entire casting room in an X-Man superhero theme; it was
distractingly frightening to me! The very bold, deep colors of the
eight-foot tall men/creatures in their macho, gonna-beat-you-up
poses may have appealed to teenage boys, but the trick is to create
something that will relate to a wide age span in a soothing
fashion."
Fluorescent Lighting: Adverse Effects
She also points out that many practitioners are unaware of how
fluorescent lighting can adversely affect high-tone children,
grating on their nervous systems. "I have always had one or two
windows in at least one of my pediatric rooms. If I suspect a
child's irritability is coming from the overhead lights, I turn
them off and work in natural light. Windows are also great for a
little time-out distraction. We look out and count the trucks going
by or talk about the cars, the people, birds in the tree, weather,
or whatever looks interesting to the child."
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Stokosa’s ‘Kid’s Hole’ |
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She also has a TV with VCR in the pediatric room
and a large selection of videos. "This can be a lifesaver!" Urso
exclaimed. "Some parents will bring in their child's favorite
video, and when the child starts focusing on it, he hardly notices
that I'm there!"
Stokosa's Kid's Hole'
Jan Stokosa, CP, Stokosa Prosthetic
Clinic, Okemos, Michigan, has a reception room that is split into
two sections: one for adults and one for kids. "In the kid's
section," says Stokosa, "there is what I call the Kid's Hole' or
cave. There's an archway cutout that leads into a small area with a
five-foot ceiling with a light, some chairs, and a bench with a
seat that flips up. There are books, toys, odds and ends in there
for kids to play with. There's a foosball table in there, and a
fold-out sofa that folds out to a bed like a futon, so they can
stretch out and read. It's a place where kids can escape to--they
not only have their own reception room, but this little place where
they can get away and feel like they are hidden safely in a cave.
Since there is no door, a parent can easily peek in and
monitor."
Well, here are just some fun, creative ideas which may spark
other imaginative ways to appeal to your tiniest patients! Judith Philipps Otto is a freelance writer who has also assisted with marketing and public relations for various clients within the O&P industry. She lives in Holly Springs, Mississippi. 
Table Of Contents - April 2004
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