Related Experiment Videos
Residential summer camp for children with end-stage renal disease
B A Warady1, B Carr, S Hellerstein
1Division of Nephrology, Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Mo.
Insights
Summer camp for children with kidney disease improves self-esteem and reduces hopelessness. This experience offers medical staff insight and provides parents essential respite, preventing burnout.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nephrology
- Childhood Chronic Illness Management
- Quality of Life Interventions
Background:
- Children with chronic illnesses, including those on peritoneal dialysis or post-kidney transplant, often have unique psychosocial needs.
- Residential summer camps offer therapeutic recreational opportunities for children with various chronic conditions.
- There is a need for specialized programs that address the holistic well-being of pediatric kidney patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the development and implementation of a summer camp for children aged 9-18 undergoing long-term peritoneal dialysis or kidney transplantation.
- To evaluate the impact of this specialized summer camp on participants' psychological well-being.
- To explore the benefits for medical staff and parents of children with chronic kidney disease.
Main Methods:
- Development and implementation of a 1-week residential summer camp program for pediatric kidney patients.
- Inclusion of recreational activities (e.g., water olympics, hikes, campouts) alongside continuous medical care.
- A study was conducted to assess the camp's impact on patient hopelessness and self-esteem.
Main Results:
- The 1-week camping experience led to decreased patient hopelessness.
- Participants demonstrated improved self-esteem following the camp.
- Medical staff gained valuable insights into childhood illness, and parents reported significant respite, aiding in burnout prevention.
Conclusions:
- Specialized summer camps can positively impact the quality of life for children with chronic kidney disease.
- Such programs offer significant psychological benefits for pediatric patients, including enhanced self-esteem and reduced hopelessness.
- These camps provide crucial support for families, offering respite and contributing to the prevention of parental burnout, with potential for broader application to other chronic pediatric conditions.
Abstract:
Residential summer camps exist for children with all varieties of chronic illness with the goal of improving their quality of life. This paper describes the development and implementation of a summer camp for children 9-18 years old who receive long-term peritoneal dialysis or who have received a kidney transplant. Thirty-five to forty children regularly participate in activities such as water olympics, survival hikes and campouts while continuing to receive their medical needs from trained personnel. A study to evaluate the impact of a summer camp revealed less patient hopelessness and improved self-esteem following the 1-week camping experience. Attendance at camp provided the medical staff with a unique perspective of childhood illness, while the period of respite for the parents was uniformly welcomed and may contribute to the prevention of parent burnout. It is hoped that the success of this camp and others like it will lead to the development of similar experiences for other children with chronic disease.