Areas of Impact: Pediatric Physical Therapy
September 1, 2021
Pediatric Physical Therapy at MercyOne Children’s Hospital was able to purchase a new Tumble Forms Tadpole System, special Tomato Chair with base and Tumble Forms Chair with base thanks to donor support.
Amy Dotson, occupational therapy supervisor and primary pediatric occupational therapist at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center explains when a sick child is admitted into the Children’s Hospital, whether it is for a procedure or an illness, one of the main goals is get them upright as soon as possible. These pieces of equipment are vital in achieving this goal.
“The importance of this equipment is definitely for early mobility and to promote development while kids are here in the hospital recovering,” said Amy.
“Often when kids are admitted to the hospital for a cardiac surgery, or if they have RSV or another respiratory illness or even for our chronically ill patients, they need this equipment to be in an optimal posture or position to heal and get better.”
The Tumble Forms Tadpole System is a multi-use piece of equipment that can be used for infants through toddler age. It is very versatile and can meet the needs of many different patients. This item was wanted by Amy and her team for a while and they are very appreciative to finally have it.
The Special Tomato Chair is a seating system mainly used for older kids between the ages of three and six. The chair provides good postural support and has a mobile base so parents can take their child out of the room easily for a change of environment. The Tumble Forms Chair is another seating system that can go in a crib or bed to help a child sit up and interact with their parents or other hospital staff at eye level.
“When kids are sick and unable to get up, move, interact and play, it makes recovery longer and can be hard on their parents,” said Amy. “By using these pieces of equipment and working on getting kids up and moving while they are in the hospital, we are setting them up for more success once they are discharged.”
Amy and the rest of her team are very grateful for the donors who made purchasing this equipment possible.
“It makes a huge difference for us as a therapy department to have such state-of-the-art equipment to help these kids in their recovery,” said Amy. “We definitely have more things on our wish list that would be beneficial to our patients on the pediatric and NICU floors.”
Donor support helps MercyOne Central Iowa improve patient care by being able to fund innovative and necessary pieces of technology.
“We utilize all pieces of equipment we receive through donor funding and we are so appreciative for the support,” said Amy.
Funds raised through this year’s Annual Campaign support the purchase of new, innovative pieces of technology. You can make an impact by visiting MercyOne.org/desmoines/give.
If you would like more information on the Annual Campaign and how you can get involved, please contact MercyOne Des Moines Foundation Director of Annual Events and Giving, Megan Mildenberger at 515-643-8038 or mmildenberger@mercydesmoines.org.
For more information on how you can support sick children at MercyOne Children’s Hospital, please contact MercyOne Des Moines Foundation Senior Director of Development Sophia Ahmad at SAhmad@mercydesmoines.org or 515-643-8035.
