The Jiménez Díaz Foundation organizes its first summer camp for children with psychiatric problems or special needs.

The Jiménez Díaz Foundation, the Quirónsalud Foundation and the Dionisia Plaza Rehabilitation Center - a medical center affiliated with the Madrid Health Service (Sermas), specializing in comprehensive care for children with neurodevelopmental disorders - have signed a collaboration agreement to organize a therapeutic and urban summer camp , aimed at children being monitored in the Psychiatry Department of the Madrid hospital, as a measure of emotional, care and social support for participants, and family respite for their loved ones.

School vacation periods are a time when families must seek out leisure activities for children and adolescents in advance, which will cover the school's non-essential school hours during these months. Due to today's lifestyles, parents often have to work and cannot always stay in charge of their children or leave them in the care of a relative.

This is even more important for families of children with special needs or conditions such as neurological or mental health disorders, as they may require more specific care, specialized professionals, or environments tailored to their particular situations.

An initiative that, from June 23rd until the end of July , will allow patients between 6 and 12 years old - both from the Jiménez Díaz Foundation and from the other three Quirónsalud hospitals integrated in Sermas (the Rey Juan Carlos, Infanta Elena and General de Villalba university hospitals) -, affected by neurological disorders (congenital or acquired) or mental health (ADHD, ASD, mixed emotional and behavioral disorder, adaptive or mood disorders...), and autonomy in movement, to enjoy a benchmark experience of tolerance and co-education.

To this end, the activities, which take place at the Dionisia Plaza Rehabilitation Center in Aravaca , from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and include daily lunch and snack service, are organized by age group with the planning, guidance, and supervision of instructors who employ an active and flexible methodology.

“From the Social Responsibility Department of the Jiménez Díaz Foundation, the launch of this free camp for children with special needs is much more than a one-time activity: it's a tangible expression of the human commitment that defines our hospital,” explains Aurora Herraiz , director of this area at the Madrid hospital.

"With this initiative, we want to go beyond healthcare , demonstrating that our service doesn't end in the doctor's office or operating room, but extends to the daily lives of people and their families," he continues. "We thus promote a sense of empathy, closeness, and comprehensive care , convinced that helping in any way we can is the best way to honor our vocation of service."

For his part, Enrique Plaza , manager of the Dionisia Plaza Rehabilitation Center, notes that "families have repeatedly expressed their satisfaction and joy at seeing their children leave the camp happy." "They are very grateful for how we approached the camp, adapting to their children's needs, and they appreciate that they were informed at all times about all the activities and the situations that arise in their daily lives," he adds.

Activities

Specifically, with the aim of creating a relaxing environment where enjoyment and play are the essence ; developing children's playful, imaginative, and creative abilities through artistic and physical expression; and fostering healthy habits and values of respect, tolerance, solidarity, freedom, and friendship through social interaction, attendees are participating in various therapeutic, leisure, and free-time activities : occupational therapy workshops to work on executive functions (attention, memory, cognitive flexibility), improve psychomotor skills, foster artistic creativity, and develop social skills and emotional intelligence; sports and pool activities; and supervised and cooperative games.

These activities will also help them increase self-esteem , enhance autonomy, promote co-education, foster tolerance, maintain and promote hygiene habits, facilitate responsible consumption, educate in respect and individual freedom, and create a climate of solidarity and camaraderie; all of these objectives are especially important for camp attendees.

According to Dr. Juan José Carballo , a specialist from the Psychiatry Service at the Jiménez Díaz Foundation, the minors participating in this first edition of the camp are patients from the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Section located at the Argüelles Specialty Center, dependent on the Madrid hospital, "for clinical reasons mainly related to difficulties in neurodevelopment and/or difficulties in regulating emotions and behavior" that made them ideal recipients for this activity.

“Our Clinical Psychology, Nursing, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry professionals informed and assisted parents and children, in coordination with Social Work, to process registration requests. An online meeting was subsequently held between families and the Dionisia Plaza center to facilitate communication and clarify any doubts before the start of the camp,” the psychiatrist recalls, adding that “the satisfaction of the organizers and recipients of the initiative suggests that more children will be able to benefit from it in future editions.”

An example of the fact that the camp is being, already in its first edition, a complete success , are the evaluations of the families of the participating children, which confirm that the project is meeting, if not exceeding, the objectives and expectations that they had, as Juan Carlos, father of Fabián, aged 10, underlines: “We are very happy with how Fabián is living this enriching experience, and we thank the Dionisia Plaza centre and the Jiménez Díaz Foundation for this initiative”.