Abstract:
Children with health problems are removed from their familiar environment and placed into a hospital situation during their time of sickness. Many hospitals are focused on helping a child become physically healthy, forgetting the importance of emotional health. Children are emotionally sensitive to their surrounding environments, especially to hospital situations. They are in an environment that lacks the ability to stimulate the child's senses, therefore, creating a situation that is extremely stressful and can have a tremendous effect on the child's ability to heal. The focus of this project was to emphasize the importance of holistic healing and create a place for children to escape the negative aspects of hospitalization. The project was located at Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne, Indiana. The intent of this project was to compliment Lutheran Hospital's theme of holistic healing and implement a series of spaces for healing outside the hospital walls.