ORLANDO, Fla. – Patient-controlled robots are rolling through the hallways of a local hospital to encourage socialization.
“Being stuck in a room can be just super isolating,” Chantelle Bennett, Child life manager at AdventHealth for Children said.
Hospitals have had to make big changes during the coronavirus pandemic including keeping more patients in isolation and limiting family visitors.
“Prior to COVID we would probably average 3 to 4 patients on a unit that were on isolation. Since COVID, pretty much every patient, pediatric patient and familym is on isolation,” Bennett said.
A grant from Champions for Children from AdventHealth Foundation Central Florida brought robots into the halls of AdventHealth for Children. During the pandemic, the technology has become increasingly important for families in isolation.
“We can use the technology of the robots to help facilitate those interactions, the robot can go into a room of an adult and interact with their children at home,” Bennett said.
The goal for the program is to eventually bring the robots outside of the hospitals for patients to enjoy a change of scenery and even sporting events.