Jemma pens story to help children during COVID-19 outbreak
A member of the Paediatrics team has written a story for children to help them understand the changes to everyday life as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak.
Jemma Simpson, Clinical Governance Advisor in the Paediatrics Department at Queen’s Hospital Burton, has created a story about brother and sister, Corie and Torie, who are encouraged to become superheroes in order to send COVID-19 away.
The story, titled ‘What to Do When I Get Lost’ is a fun and simple way of explaining to children the importance of staying home and Jemma hopes it can be an effective tool to reduce anxiety in children:
“I’ve been working in health care for 15 years now, and I have a passion for childrens’ health. I wrote this story because my three-year-old niece has been getting a bit upset and can’t understand why she can’t go to nursery at the moment, so I thought this story might help her.
“When children are upset, they need to access the part of the brain that makes them feel valued, so with this in mind, I wrote the story to encourage children to be superheroes and send COVID-19 away.”
In uncertain times, children are more likely to comply with instructions when they are given a job, so Jemma has focused her story on Corie and Torie being told by The Queen to stand still and not go anywhere in order to make the “lost germ” go away.
The story also includes key messages about the importance of washing your hands and other key messages that are aimed at limiting the spread of Coronavirus.
Jemma explains: “A lot of the terminology that’s used can be scary, so I wanted to do something that would help reduce their anxiety and sense of confusion at this time. Giving them a job to do helps to reduce this, and if they understand why they're told to do something, they're more likely to do so.”