Crazy hats and creative hairstyles brought joy and warmth to children hospitalized at Gaspar Vianna Clinical Hospital
Initiative promoted warmth and strengthened the bond between children, families, and the healthcare team during hospitalization
To celebrate Children's Month, the Gaspar Vianna Clinical Hospital (HC) in Belém held the "Crazy Hat" event, which brought color and joy to the pediatric units of the institution. In the Neonatal and Pediatric ICUs, personalized hats were made for the little patients, while in the Pediatric Clinic, teams and families unleashed their creativity with fun and colorful hairstyles, inspired by traditional school activities of "crazy hair" and "crazy socks" held in October. The initiative aims to humanize care, encourage emotional well-being, and make the hospital environment more welcoming for young patients.
The activities were carried out by multidisciplinary teams, involving occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychology, social work, and nursing. Families also participated in the creation, which made the experience even more affectionate.
Occupational therapist Adriana Nascimento, who works in the Pediatric ICU, explained that the work goes beyond clinical intervention with the children and seeks to include the caregivers in the care process.
“Occupational therapy works on functional positioning in bed and the creation of orthoses, but we also perceive the need to care for these parents. They are deprived of activities they used to do with their children, such as bathing or changing diapers. So we thought of the hat customization workshop as a way to restore that bond through doing together, bringing a little of that mother-baby or father-baby care to the bedside,” she explained.
The nursing team also participated directly in the action. Nurse Sara Valente highlighted the emotional effects of the proposal. “Children in the ICU go through many procedures, and parents cannot always accompany them. When they make the hats and see their children wearing them, they feel part of the care. We think of the hats as warmth and playfulness. Even when the child is intubated and has little facial expression, the parents' reaction is invigorating. This brings strength and alleviates the stress of everyday life,” she emphasized.
Parents report that the activity restores a bit of the bond interrupted by hospitalization. Lisângela Lagoia, mother of little Pedro Henrique, who has been hospitalized for over 50 days in the Pediatric ICU, said that the experience brought meaning. “We can’t do anything here, not even change a diaper. So, for me, making this hat was very important. It is very gratifying to be able to participate in some way,” she reported, emotional.
She mentioned that she chose the theme of her son's hat based on what he likes. “He loves bright colors, especially blue, and I chose the boat theme because he really likes water. If he were at home, he would love it,” she added.
In addition to promoting moments of lightness, the workshops promoted by HC, such as the "Crazy Hat" event, encourage practices of humanization and comprehensive care, especially in pediatric care. The action is part of the special programming for Children's Month organized by the institution.
Text: Kelly Barros (Ascom HC)
