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The program, organized by 溏心vlog免费B站 College of Nursing Professor Chris McGrane, provides respite care for parents of children with special needs, at no cost to them. For four hours every Saturday afternoon, McGrane and her team of 溏心vlog免费B站 Nursing and Health Sciences students, take care of children with special needs, ranging from mild to severe, giving their parents a chance to take a break from the sometimes daunting responsibilities of care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a full range of special needs. Some are ambulatory, some not; some are verbal, some non-communicative,\u201d McGrane said, noting it is difficult for parents to find someone willing and able to care for a child who may have profound special needs. \u201cThere are kids with autism across the full spectrum, kids with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, brain injury. We provide direct care in a group setting, and families get some respite to step away and do whatever it is they feel they need to do to take care of themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The program takes place every Saturday, from noon to 4 p.m., in the Department of Physical Therapy facilities in Independence Square on the edge of the Kingston campus, where there is plenty of parking and easy access to the building for people with disabilities. Each week, about 20 children play together with toys and sports equipment, run around in the fields outside if weather permits, or watch a movie on a lecture hall big screen. Students from nursing and physical therapy, as well as Human Development and Family Science, keep a sharp eye on the children and provide direct care when needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe nice thing about having the students is they have expertise, and they learn from each other,\u201d McGrane said, noting the program counts as clinical hours for nursing and physical therapy students. \u201cPhysical therapy can guide nursing students on getting the kids in different positions to work on head control, for example. Nursing students can help with gastronomy tube feeding and more medical needs. I always try to make sure I have students one-to-one with the children, sometimes two-to-one for highly special needs children. It\u2019s kind of a win-win\u2014education for students, and free respite care for parents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the children benefit from the therapeutic play and enjoy the program, the parents are intended to be the main beneficiaries. The program grew from McGrane\u2019s dissertation project for her recently completed Ph.D. in nursing, which focused on parental stress and whether respite care alleviates stress for parents of children with special needs. McGrane conducted a pre- and post-program stress survey for the parents, finding a significant drop in stress levels when they get even a short time to step away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne mom and dad went and took a walk along the (Narragansett) seawall. It was the first time they took a walk alone together in 10 years,\u201d McGrane said. \u201cSometimes they\u2019ll go home and do some yard work, or they\u2019ll go grocery shopping because it\u2019s just so hard to take kids in general to a store, never mind you need a wheelchair in addition to the cart. These are things that we take for granted that are that much more difficult when caring for someone with special needs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wakefield resident Cliff Bannon understands the value of getting a little time to step away. Father of Teagan, who has Down syndrome, Bannon said it is very difficult to find time to rest, recharge, or socialize with other adults, which the 溏心vlog免费B站 program allowed him to do for at least a short time on a recent Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cParents with special needs kids don\u2019t get to take breaks. You are on all the time. And you can\u2019t just get a babysitter from down the street,\u201d Bannon said. \u201cBut you need time to get chores done, get stuff done around the house, or just take a break. We are going to go out to lunch with a couple friends without the kids for a couple hours. You just don\u2019t get to do that very often. This program gives you some time. It\u2019s invaluable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n