The Greenwich Hospital Kindness Cart program began September and is about to expand, offering the likes of hearing aid batteries, hair ties, deodorant, music, puzzles and back scratchers, all free, to make a hospital stay more pleasant.
The cart also offers stuffed animals that are part of the hospital”™s Adopt-A-Pet program. The stuffed animals are given to Alzheimer”™s patients and those with other forms of dementia. Research shows stuffed animals can benefit people in mid to late stages of the disease by providing them with the opportunity to nurture, according to the hospital.
The program will expand to medical oncology in February.
The hospital”™s Patient and Guest Relations Department originated and designed the program and is responsible for determining stock and inventory, which are based on patient requests. The department trains volunteers and staff and provides general program oversight.
Four volunteers staff the cart in teams of two. They have received an additional two hours of training and orientation to participate.
The Patient and Guest Relations Department based the idea on a simple version developed first at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Washington state and rolled it out in conjunction with the its Adopt-a-Pet effort.
In a statement, the hospital, which is a member of the Yale New Haven Health System, said, “The mission of the Kindness Cart is to demonstrate to patients that we know small things matter. When a hospitalization is unexpected, something small like a hair band or a hearing aid battery can make all the difference in the world. We built and stocked the cart with the small items patients have requested the most.
“The Kindness Cart has been very well received. Patients are appreciative of the efforts taken to recognize their nonmedical needs and support their comfort.”
