ATTENDING a hospital as a child is never a laughing matter but Limerick charity Helium Arts has been trying to distract from the worries in hand, unveiling a new mural in the nurses’ station of the paediatric outpatients department in University Hospital Limerick (UHL).
The mural was painted by Limerick artist Chelsea Canavan, much to the delight of families, patients, and hospital staff. Chelsea works with Helium Arts in UHL as part of the ‘Create While You Wait’ outpatients programme.
Create While You Wait supports children and young people aged six to 18 years with lifelong health conditions to access creative activities in outpatient clinics while they wait for treatment.
Artist Chelsea is helping anxious patients and families by designing bespoke creative activity packs and engaging with outpatients in the waiting room.
Asked about their experience of Helium Arts in outpatient clinics, more than one in nine children and parents said they felt happier about hospital visits because of the activities.
Speaking about the new mural, Chelsea explained: “The mural is colourful and fun and it links with some of the activities we do in the waiting room.”
“When I meet the children in the waiting room, I can ask them to look out for certain features as they enter the nurses’ station. When they come back out, they want to know how I knew so much about the mural and they get a lovely surprise when I tell them I painted it.”
The nurses’ station is the first stop for patients after checking in at reception. Chelsea consulted with the nursing team throughout the project and between them they included some very practical uses for the mural. For example, the nurses can ask the children to count the birds on the wall or imagine what songs the birds are singing while they get their pre-appointment checks done.
Speaking about the mural, Alison McCaffrey, Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Paediatric Diabetes, said: “The partnership with Helium Arts has been a tremendous support for children attending our clinics.”
“Engaging young people creatively while they are waiting not only provides a welcome distraction but also a fun social environment where children can meet others who live with diabetes and may be wearing the same devices and they can feel less isolated in managing their condition. So it is brilliant in terms of peer support.”
