Benefits of a mainstreamed summer camp experience for teens with ESRD

This is a report on a pilot project integrating children with end stage renal disease (ESRD) with well children for a summer camp experience. As the teen with ESRD prepares to enter the work force and college, he/she will have to adapt to a variety of situations that will not adapt to his/her unique medical condition. These issues motivated a pilot project in which 9 ESRD children were mainstreamed into a 2 week, YMCA summer camp experience. Pre and post questionnaires were developed and distributed to the camper, family, and the cabin counselor along with interviews to assess the value of the experience. All the children left camp more independent and knowledgeable about their self-care. The results of this pilot project indicate that children with ESRD can adapt to their environment and increase independence, self-care and self-esteem through supervised mainstreamed experiences.