.interviews
2011-03-29
Visiting Drottning Silvias Children's Hospital, meeting with Sofia Månsson;
2011-03-03
Visiting Sahlgrenska Hospital, Meeting with Michael Nilsson*, Lennart Ring
& Stefan Lundin, Peter Fröst
*Professor Michael Nilsson is going to be new FoUU-direktör in SU from April 1.
It was more like as a meeting, so it will be more about notes on a meeting than an interview.
*The treatments are involving multi sensorary stimulation , how stimuli reach and effects the brain. Multu sensorary stimuli includes music and dance, and enriched environments can possibly used in rehabilitation.
Importance of group therapies: They advice to mix individual and group therapies. Group therapies are effective with "Mirror neuron circuits". Simple explaination is, seeing someone having similar syptoms or reactions as you act as a reflection of ones selfä which includes observation.
So he implied about the importance of "Social Interaction"
(Gunnnar Bjursell had also mentioned the importance of socialization, in a different way as pain is not strong when you are distracted by other people. Although individiaul rooms for patients are adviced for patient safety and control, the patients should be encouraged to spend more time together during they time, and the planning might create spaces for small group gatherings- small spaces+stonger communication)
Motivations from social facilities, achieving something gives happiness to the patients, with Dopamin
When we think about brain it is an enormous fiels, so it is better to narrow and focus on individual subjects.
They are also working with environments in intensive care units. It is also once more implied that the environments in healthcare are on behalf of medical staff, but not a comfortable environment for the patient.
Question about children vs. adults: Children have very high plasticity of brain, almost multiplied by 4x than adult brain. Stress component is a very important problem to deal within architectural setting.
(I was advised to spend couple of days in children's hospital, taking part in their therapies, observing their behaviors, and movements. I have new contacts for my future visit.)
Visiting Drottning Silvias Children's Hospital, meeting with Sofia Månsson;
Drotnings Silvias barnsjukhuset serves to children from all over Sweden Sweden
- Whom does play-therapy (“lekterapi”) refer to? Children with what kind of disorders visit play therapy?
We help all, any children with any kind of disorder or disease can take place in our therapies. Play therapy is for children who cannot participate in play activities, or school or social environments enjoy what they are missing. Playtherapy is mandatory in Sweden
Play therapy gives children courage to do things that they can’t do. During treatment children are obliged to do things concerning their health, such as “you must eat this, you must sleep. you must rest…” and they get unhappy. The therapy helps them to enjoy playing like normal children do.
- Does play-therapy only refer to children staying in the hospital?
No, children coming for one day can also participate in play therapies, or they can also come on regular basis depending on their treatment. Children who are unable to leave their rooms, the therapists visit them with play tools or books and help them.
- How is social interaction for children?
We encourage children to spend time with their siblings; that’s why we have spaces where they can spend time together, with games, watching a movie, play in a theater, the things that they cannot do together outside, we provide them here.
For small children, visiting with their parents, we also have spaces for them to be with their parents. For children coming from other regions, families stay in residential units, Ronald MacDonald in the hospital zone.
About department facilities:
- How is the access for nature in the therapy zone?
Children have a small garden with play ground where they can play outdoor, which is accessible from the square. But from the rooms are mainly facing towards buildings.
- How is the square (“torget”) is used?
The square is where the smaller departments are opened to, where we have a common kitchen, sitting units and piano. We gather with children here. Parents accompanying smaller children also spend time in the square, so it is also important that small children unit is visible to the square. The square is where parent spend longer time, and it is not likely that they would feel comfortable when many people are passing by, it is better to have it by side.
- Flexible spaces, different entrances?
Now all the units under play therapy are accessible from the main entrance, which doesn’t allow flexible opening hours. We want to have library and small children unit accessible from outside, and able work when the therapy is not open.
- Interactions between spaces and silence problem?
What we mostly give importance is maximum contact between the units. For example, the library is not a traditional one that you have to be quiet in. It is good for children when they hear sounds of other activities, get curious and participate in them.
Only for quiet rooms we don’t like to open up to noisy and crowded spaces such as to the square as it is now.
For children open to infections, we want them to see the activities from a window, what is going on in the mixed room, where they play theater or show a movie. In the current situation these children can only visit the play-therapy after 16:00, after the other kids already leave the space, which is quite miserable that they miss the main activities.
2011-03-03
Visiting Sahlgrenska Hospital, Meeting with Michael Nilsson*, Lennart Ring
& Stefan Lundin, Peter Fröst
*Professor Michael Nilsson is going to be new FoUU-direktör in SU from April 1.
It was more like as a meeting, so it will be more about notes on a meeting than an interview.
*The treatments are involving multi sensorary stimulation , how stimuli reach and effects the brain. Multu sensorary stimuli includes music and dance, and enriched environments can possibly used in rehabilitation.
Importance of group therapies: They advice to mix individual and group therapies. Group therapies are effective with "Mirror neuron circuits". Simple explaination is, seeing someone having similar syptoms or reactions as you act as a reflection of ones selfä which includes observation.
So he implied about the importance of "Social Interaction"
(Gunnnar Bjursell had also mentioned the importance of socialization, in a different way as pain is not strong when you are distracted by other people. Although individiaul rooms for patients are adviced for patient safety and control, the patients should be encouraged to spend more time together during they time, and the planning might create spaces for small group gatherings- small spaces+stonger communication)
Motivations from social facilities, achieving something gives happiness to the patients, with Dopamin
When we think about brain it is an enormous fiels, so it is better to narrow and focus on individual subjects.
They are also working with environments in intensive care units. It is also once more implied that the environments in healthcare are on behalf of medical staff, but not a comfortable environment for the patient.
Question about children vs. adults: Children have very high plasticity of brain, almost multiplied by 4x than adult brain. Stress component is a very important problem to deal within architectural setting.
(I was advised to spend couple of days in children's hospital, taking part in their therapies, observing their behaviors, and movements. I have new contacts for my future visit.)
2011-02-09
Visit to Centrum för Kultur och Hälsa, Interview with Gunnar Bjursell & Cecilia Bjursell
Visit to Centrum för Kultur och Hälsa, Interview with Gunnar Bjursell & Cecilia Bjursell
Kultur och Hälsa works only with scientifically proved medical literature that are from well recognized laboratories, hospitals, universities. They are not working on experimental studies about culture and brain.
The aim of the center is to collect the information and spread it, to be used in hospitals, healthcare.
· How the brain stimuli of enriched environments were discovered?
It has a background of 50 years, based on an experiment with rats. The brain stimuli between the rat kept in its regular cage and rat taken to a living home of the scientist was measured. The rat which is kept at home, with an enriched environment got more brain cells- more intelligent.
Earlier it was known that people were born with a number of brain cells, and the number was showing
decrease, or degrading throughout the life. Today, discovery of “brain plasticity” that brain responds stimulation.
The more you focus, the more your brain produces stem cells that develop into neurons.
Plasticity of brain increased by training of the brain. “Use it or lose it”
· Why music is important?
Brain and music -> Music reveals emotions, memory and makes you think. Music memory is heritaged. Music has a reward system in the brain, brain releases dopamine, which makes you happy. Therefore music is used in therapies.
Pictures and paintings have the similar effect to improve the memory,. Museum of modern arts in NY and University of NY works together.
· Neuroscience and architecture -> Architecture and creativity. Importance of the room, cognitive effect.
·If you have different types of challenges room requirements may differ. Activities as reading or correcting needs more concentration, smaller rooms are better. For arts and creativity higher ceilings, larger environments. For example: children with hyperactivity need calm environments
· Until what extent enriched environments can be suggested as a treatment for brain strokes?
It is affective as long as the person is alive. Brain recovers itself. Even on patients that are diagnoses as brain dead, can respond brain stimuli.
Rehabilitation of stroke is generally treated medically than rest is given. And after rest exercises on improving the healthy part. Today best approach is to start stimulation from the first day. (However it is still not spread in practice)
· What about stress and stimuli?
Stress until some limit is needed for brain stimuli, because it helps to give snap cells to the neurons. But to avoid raising the stress, the brain should be rested. Such as with music...-
· How is socialization important in the process?
Humans are social animals. If you are with someone your attention is distracted. For example you don’t feel if you are in pain. Music works the same for distraction.
