Respite Saturdays

From a mom’s idea, a relief initiative for families with children in palliative care to allow everyone a day of rest and leisure.

Imagine holding stardust between your fingers and surfing on the wings of the wind. Or meeting the Blue Fairy…for one Saturday a month, anything goes!

“Respite Saturdays” occur monthly, from 10 am to 5 pm, and are aimed at young non-oncology patients in palliative care with severe disabilities. “The day is divided into multisensory activities in the morning, led by specialised operators, and music therapy sessions in the afternoon,” explains Marta Scrignaro, educator and head of the pedagogical service of ​​VIDAS, an Italian association that provides free palliative care to both children and adults and the location of such undertakings.

“All the activities revolve around a story – usually by a classic of children’s literature – and all the operators become part of the narration. Our goal is to ensure that every child receives the individual attention they need.”

In addition to the multisensory activities staff and educator, a nurse, a social health worker, a volunteer and a music therapist are all available to the children. The latter, after individual 20-minute music therapy sessions, closes the story that began in the morning with a common session where all the children in the group get involved and have fun. A doctor specialised in paediatric palliative care is also on call during the day.

This happy initiative was brought about by ​​Stefania Saturno, president of the association Più Unici Che Rari, which finances the project, and mom of Niccolò, a 10-years-old patient followed by VIDAS’ paediatric palliative care team. “The aim is to ensure that families with children suffering from a serious illness have one Saturday per month for rest and recreation. Parents can make time for themselves and other children, leaving their sick children in a safe and secure environment. It’s a breath of fresh air from the daily routine of care and ongoing assistance,” says Stefania.

Respite Saturdays are attended by 8 families (who alternate in two groups of 4), most of whom have multiple children. This is a fundamental aspect of the project, as Christian, dad of two, explains: “Siblings often feel a little neglected due to the needs of their brother or sister with disabilities. These moments of relief allow us to spend carefree time with Leonardo, our eldest son, knowing that Elisa is in good hands. Elisa, moreover, doesn’t go to school and doesn’t have many moments of sociality; therefore, Respite Saturday is very important for her too.” The Respite Saturdays have now become a regular event, appreciated not only by children and their parents but also by healthcare professionals: “I prepare for next Saturday with joy. These days are truly special,” says Soraya Chavez, a social health worker who has become a central figure in the storytelling activities, going far beyond what her role would normally entail.

“I had never done anything similar, it’s a very different activity compared to what I do in the children’s hospice ward, where I take care of hygiene and cuddle our little ones [laughs], but I had never participated in such a long and structured therapeutic play session.” The first Saturday turned out to be a real discovery: “During Respite Saturdays, a completely different environment is created. The children are not just patients to be cared for, but they can experience moments of relaxation and real fun. It’s an experience that gives me so much satisfaction, otherwise, I don’t know if I would have dressed up as Peter Pan’s fairy!”

The impact of this initiative has been very positive so, starting from September 2024, the Respite Saturdays increased their scope: an extra month will be included and the groups will go from 4 to 5 children.

The last Respite Saturday took place on the first week of October, so the occasion called for an anticipated Hats On Day celebration! VIDAS’ team and the kids all sported hats during the activities of the day.