We were invited to the BS Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital to support the social worker, Samir, working with young patients who are receiving treatment in the children’s ward.
The BS Cancer Hospital is one of a few hospitals in Nepal offering specialist cancer care. Social work, the arts in health, and many other services for patients and carers are not yet integrated into cancer (and other) care here yet. Often it is just one person, alone, such as a social worker, trying to provide the services that families have traditionally been called upon to give. However, we know that when faced with a life-threatening illness, the community needs to assist a patient and their family and others in their circle. This hospital is located in a busy town and provides cancer care to people from a wide district – so families are not always able to be at the hospital providing the additional care needed.
We followed a project I did last year at the Peter Mac Cancer Centre in Melbourne – creating postcard sized artworks that we put together on a wall. The results were impressive. Afterwards I showed the children some of the work from Peter Mac and they were very happy that their own work was equally as good; they also enjoyed seeing photos of children creating art at that hospital.
The children’s ward has about ten beds. Patients usually spent quite a lot of their ‘down time’ on their beds – drawing, talking, watching videos and reading etc. Today we invited people to leave the ward and come out into a communal space to create our artwork. As each work was completed we put them up on a bright green wall and created our Art Gallery … two English words everyone soon learned.
We know from much research now that art helps people feel calm and relaxed at a time of immense anxiety. It was wonderful as parents, grandparents, nursing staff joined with the young patients and all felt the benefits of creating together. Time and time again I see that people find it hard to resist the art table!
We know from the considerable research available that art helps people feel calm and relaxed at a time of immense anxiety. It gives people meaning and purpose and a time to enjoy themselves. Sometimes trying to set up these programs can meet with quite a lot of resistance – especially from those who have not yet witnessed how effective it can be … it is not an uncommon story. Today the nursing staff was immediately interested, as was the paediatric doctor on duty; staff came down from the upstairs ward and everyone could see how engaged and interested people were – and how much they were enjoying themselves – a big success in what is an extremely emotionally difficult and worrying time.
Fantastic support from the Nursing and other staff.
this little boy was really happy with this photo of him and our art gallery.
Really proud of his work.
This is an Artists in Community International Project created during MakeDoTell 2017. It was made possible by the generosity of our many supporters who donate the funds required for us to provide our skills and services in India and Nepal. A big thanks to our colleague Asmita Rajbanshi, a social worker, who joined us to support this project.
Anne Riggs 