The Big Space Cancer Appeal-
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About our charity and what we stand for
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Bringing Comfort and Calm: How charity-funded sensory aids are supporting patients at our hospitals
Thanks to your support, sensory aids are now available for patients with autism or learning disabilities to help reduce the impact of the sensory environment.
Being admitted to hospital can be a worrying time for anyone, but for patients with sensory challenges, the experience can be particularly overwhelming. The bright, clinical setting and unpredictable noise levels can heighten anxiety and discomfort. To make these moments easier, the charity has funded a range of sensory aids designed to create a calmer, more supportive environment - for both patients and staff - helping to turn a difficult experience into one of greater comfort and care.
The equipment funded includes; adult and child ear defenders and ear plugs, communication boards, mindful colouring books and art supplies, eye masks and sunglasses, pop it fidget sensory toys hand held chews, squeezy stress balls, swim float to reduce impact of self-injurious communication, visual prompt cards.
We spoke to Martin Doddimeade, Autism Liaison Officer at Gloucestershire Hospitals, who shared some of the examples where the equipment has helped to make a real difference:
- An elderly patient was struggling with the auditory overload of an open ward bay was given ear defenders to help calm and ease the experience.
- A young child in the Emergency Department was offered squishy sensory items to act as a distraction to help assist with their assessment and phlebotomy.
- A patient who needed a CT scan but struggled with claustrophobia made use of the eye masks.
- A long-term inpatient enjoyed colouring items and outline pictures to help with stimulation and occupy their time.
- A young adult patient with a dislocated patella was in pain and distress was offered a stress ball for distraction during assessment.
“The impact of these funded sensory aids can be summed up simply: small changes, BIG impact! We are incredibly grateful to the charity supporters for making it possible to enhance the hospital experience for patients with sensory needs. These items, combined with small adaptations and thoughtful adjustments that staff can make on their own, empower us to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for our patients. Thank you for helping us make a real difference.”
Martin Doddimeade, Autism Liaison Officer
Thanks to your support we are able to fund items over and above the NHS provision to help improve the patient experience.
Making hospital life better
