My 16 year old son is the hospital for a bowl obstruction. He is very bored I don't know what to do to keep him entertained usually all he wants to do is sleep when he is in the hospital
How to keep a teenager entertained in the hospital
- Thread starter Jordyn
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crohnsinct
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Are you in a ped hospital or general? If general is he in the ped unit? See if they have an IPAD he could borrow (I know you were admitted through the ER and probably didn't pack his toys). Some have xbox or whatever the more recent gaming systems are. Movies? Pretty much my daughter just played on the computer, texted friends and she was inpatient during school so did homework...cashed in on French speaking nurse and docs for bio questions.
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Ditto to what crohnsinct suggested... when my son was in the hospital (he was 16), it was a children's hospital and they brought him a computer, dvd player and game system (plus a selection of movies and games).
Hopefully, he won't be in for too long! :ghug:
Hopefully, he won't be in for too long! :ghug:
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My son was in a Children's Hospital so he had access to an xbox, games etc. Also they had a library that you could check out books and movies from. I decided then and there that I would make sure he had a bag ready for the adult hospital when the time came.
I know what you mean when C was first admitted he mostly slept but by the second week he was feeling caged. He was 16 at the time and I realized quickly that although in a year or so he would be switched to an adult hospital for admittance when needed he would probably reach that same point of caginess without access to the things available at a Ped's hospital.
I know what you mean when C was first admitted he mostly slept but by the second week he was feeling caged. He was 16 at the time and I realized quickly that although in a year or so he would be switched to an adult hospital for admittance when needed he would probably reach that same point of caginess without access to the things available at a Ped's hospital.
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Ditto above
If its a kiddie hospital ask for child life dept they have lots of games etc and groups for various ages .
If its a kiddie hospital ask for child life dept they have lots of games etc and groups for various ages .
There are better stuff now days for sure. Give you a computer or IPad to use? That would have been awesome. I was able to check out books and movies. I mostly watched TV, movies and talked on the phone. Sometimes its nice to get up and walk around if you're able. I had two IVs following me before my surgery at age 17 so my dad would walk with me to the garden areas and sometimes I'd plug my IVs in along the way to keep the charge on the battery. Best to do the walks after you've already talked to the doctor that day though so you don't have to worry about missing them.
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The first time I was hospitalized I was 16. The child life department came and asked what my interests where and the next day they brought me some little crafts, music, and even nail polish. I know it is still slightly boring but puzzles are always an option. I also had my dad bring a couple books and a laptop so I could Skype with people. At my hospital there was a rec room (it was a peds hospital) with games, computers, magazines, and movies. Maybe the hospital your son is at has one? That stinks that he has to be there, hopefully not for too much longer 
DustyKat
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Matt's first admission was to our local hospital so he was in the paediatric/youth ward, so basically all the bells and whistles were provided. It was also easy to get stuff from home because we only lived 20 minutes. For him it was all the usual stuff...laptop, phone, iPad, iPod, TV, DVD's, magazines, games, books and visitors!
When we had the unexpected admission to the adult hospital in Sydney it was hard at first as we had very little there. Thankfully they had a Department of Adolescent and Transition Medicine. They asked what he liked and provided him with a TV, DVD's, Playstation and games, magazines, iPad and so on and the doctor that was in charge of the unit would visit him everyday too. If it had been in school time they also provide schooling. His first stay there was for 4 weeks. As soon as he was able to have his IV capped I would pop him in a wheelchair and take him up the town for lunch or just out for a walk around the university next door. Toward the end of his stay he was much improved so I moved out of the hospital to a hotel down the road so we would leave the ward after doctors rounds in the morning and return at about 9pm.
To me the thing that beat all else was just getting off the ward and outside. Even with the IV up we would venture outside everyday at least once.
Dusty. xxx
When we had the unexpected admission to the adult hospital in Sydney it was hard at first as we had very little there. Thankfully they had a Department of Adolescent and Transition Medicine. They asked what he liked and provided him with a TV, DVD's, Playstation and games, magazines, iPad and so on and the doctor that was in charge of the unit would visit him everyday too. If it had been in school time they also provide schooling. His first stay there was for 4 weeks. As soon as he was able to have his IV capped I would pop him in a wheelchair and take him up the town for lunch or just out for a walk around the university next door. Toward the end of his stay he was much improved so I moved out of the hospital to a hotel down the road so we would leave the ward after doctors rounds in the morning and return at about 9pm.
To me the thing that beat all else was just getting off the ward and outside. Even with the IV up we would venture outside everyday at least once.
Dusty. xxx
