SPOTLIGHT: ALISA'S VISIT TO ALYN HOSPITAL
I went to ALYN a few weeks ago, at the end of my six-week volunteer trip to Israel. I was coming off a high, having finally had the chance to help my country while it is at war. I did not think anything would be able to match that high, but my visit to ALYN only pushed that high, higher.
My father, Adam Schwartz, is the director of American Friends of ALYN Hospital so I knew a bit about ALYN prior to my visit. From the start to the end of my visit, I was met with a warmth and friendliness that airs throughout the hospital. The staff and patients truly emit joy. Everyone is always smiling. The building is filled with colorful decorations and cheer.
One of the big values at ALYN is diversity, but they do not just preach about it. Their staff and patients truly demonstrate this. Starting the tour, we went through a waiting room that contained people from all backgrounds. There was a nun, a Muslim family, and a Hasidic family. Their ability to exist peacefully and put the patients first, especially in this war time, is a testament for how we should and could be in the broader world.
ALYN Hospital is one-of-a-kind. They have state of the art facilities that allow them to cater to each child's individual needs and even have fun while doing so. Virtual Reality games are being used for therapy. A motion lab is there to analyze movements to allow for better, more accurate treatments. There is a walking area with all different types of surfaces (stone, grass, pebbles, rubber like in playgrounds, etc.) that allow children to practice moving in many ways they may encounter outside. Who knew that playing air hockey could be used for therapy, but finding creative ways to get kids standing and moving is part of ALYN’s fun therapeutic innovation.
In addition to a facility that brings fun and joy to treatment, the staff provide a holistic approach to each patient. Rather than schlep to five different medical professionals, children can see them all in one place. They also get to be treated by a comprehensive team, one that is collaborating to figure out the best treatments they can provide individually and as a team. This allows for greater success because they are focusing on the whole child, not just one aspect of them. They will use music and entertainment (like bringing in clowns to perform) in addition to the typical treatments to address children’s greater needs.
ALYN also brings the entrepreneurial spirit that is so strong throughout Israel into the hospital with two programs: PELE and ALYNnovation. PELE is a program that allows the hospital staff to create solutions for problems that individual patients may have. This could be creating a robot that helps a child feed themselves. It could also be building a bed specific to a patient’s needs. With the war, this has also allowed ALYN to help wounded soldiers with things like a custom boot to keep them warm without irritating an injury or creating a practice machine that allows a soldier to regain the strength and proper movements to be able to pull a gun trigger. Like PELE, ALYNnovation provides solutions to patient problems, but it does so on a larger scale. ALYNnovation partners with entrepreneurs to create solutions to general problems. One example is an application that was made to help users learn how to operate an electric wheelchair. Patients who need an electric wheelchair must qualify to get one. Part of qualifying is proving they know how to drive it, which they could not previously do due to lack of access to electronic wheelchairs. Now they can learn to drive and prove their knowledge with this ALYNnovation creation. Doing things like this allows children to succeed and you can see the positive effect of this by the smile on their faces and their unwavering determination.
ALYN works tirelessly to provide their patients, and their families, the best possible experience. They not only treat their patients for their current needs but also help prepare them for the future so that they may live on their own and achieve anything. ALYN takes the “dis” out of disability by showing that with the proper help, anyone can achieve what they aspire to.