Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) has launched a new mobile sensory therapy program thanks to a donation from Nolan’s SMILE Foundation. The foundation, created in memory of Nolan Trepanier, donated four Snoezelen carts that can be taken directly to patient rooms at the Met and Ouellette campuses. The carts feature lights, sounds and tactile tools designed to reduce anxiety and provide comfort for children and adults during hospital stays. John and Beth Trepanier, Nolan’s parents, said the idea to bring the program to Windsor was inspired by the comfort their son found in sensory therapy during cancer treatment in London and Toronto. John says the sensory room became a refuge during Nolan’s treatment. “It was a space that doctors weren’t allowed to go into,” he said. “Anytime he was there, he wasn’t being picked or prodded. He was allowed just to escape from the hospital.” He says the sensory activities allow young patients to focus on something other than illness. “When they’re happy, they kind of forget that they’re not well for a little bit,” he said. “That’s more what we’ve realized is that primarily with our paediatric experience, being able to provide that detachment, that space, that kind of buffer zone so that they can be themselves instead of being a patient.” John says they want the program to create moments of comfort for other families. “A sense of calm, a sense of peace, really an environment that they can just maybe be together and a quiet place to manage what’s going on,” he said. Luke Di Paolo, WRH’s director of mental health and allied health, says the carts offer a calming distraction during stressful treatments. “It’s a peaceful distraction while patients are going through one of the most traumatic and and chaotic times of their life. It allows them again distraction and an opportunity to to feel like they’re not in a hospital,” Di Paolo said. “That’s the ultimate goal.” Di Paolo says bringing the equipment directly to rooms will help more families benefit. “We’re always at full capacity with our patients, and we have a lot of patients that require this type of service. So rather than limiting it to one room, the carts offer that mobile opportunity for all patients and families,” he said. Di Paolo says the sensory tools can help ease anxiety while patients receive care. “It provides that distraction, joy and happiness, and really what we’re aiming for is a smile, honestly, for these patients come here, be distracted while our treatment or healthcare providers can provide the treatment that’s needed,” he said. Nolan’s SMILE Foundation donated $28,000 to launch the program at Windsor Regional Hospital. The foundation raises money through annual events, including the Nolan’s SMILE Run at Malden Park, which took place earlier this month.
