The Escuela Hospitalaria Provincia San Antonio provides education to school-age patients who are admitted to the Claudio Vicuña Hospital, at home (home hospitalization) or to those who, due to their health condition, cannot attend classes in person.
Dania Quezada, differential educator and director of the school specified that this learning alternative is recognized and subsidized by the Ministry of Education and “it is incorporated into hospitals through the area of user satisfaction and Hospital Amigo, because precisely what they are looking for is to work to improve and complement the service that is delivered to the beneficiaries”.
“We already have 12 license plates, they are users that we are going to see at their homes with all the prevention measures to avoid the spread of covid-19. Mental health patients who cannot attend face-to-face classes are included, so that instead of dropping out of the school system they can continue with their training. We know that the illness of a child influences the whole family and the idea is to be able to support them. Our students range from 4 to 21 years old, from pre-kindergarten to fourth grade, and we also care for children who are hospitalized in the Pediatrics service”, specified the professional.
He resumed classes
Zaira Cabello, 12, began her classes last week. Despite her current state of health, her family believes that the stimulation she receives from the professionals at the Hospital School is very positive.
Her mother, Rita Alvarez, specified that Zaira suffers from vegetative cerebral palsy and epilepsy. “As a result of a convulsive status, my daughter was in this condition four years ago, before she was a normal girl and she liked to go to school a lot, for which, despite the fact that she does not communicate, she follows the teacher carefully with her eyes and that gives us to understand that it is something that he likes, that catches his attention”.
Dania Quezada added that what is sought with the Hospital School is to guarantee the right to education for children and adolescents who, due to their health condition, must be hospitalized or undergo treatment at home. “As in the case of this patient (Zaira) who is in a vegetative state, it is impossible for her to attend school. The only way to respond to her right is for the school to go to her house to stimulate her, read her stories or listen to music. We still don’t know how much she will connect with us, but we are sure that with the stimulation she will react more with her family. Improve your quality of life which is something we can work on. It is a process that is measured. It all depends on each child, each family and the teachers, what we have to do is be flexible and adapt to their needs”.
The differential educator added that due to the covid-19 pandemic, some of the classes and interventions are carried out remotely. “We realized that it was good for patients and students to have companions, to listen to other voices, both for them and their caring parents. We maintain the adapted physical education class and art therapy as well as psychological care in this format. They are workshops in which the parents help them, accompany them, in a certain way they are the hands of the teachers. It’s another instance for you to have more stimulation. I hope every day they have things to do. We leave tasks for the parents, for the same reason, so that they have to do other activities and thus have a routine. The more stimulation they receive, the more we can move forward with them.”
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