Rushden Research Group: Help is at hand for Colton Ward

Evening Telegraph, Tuesday, September 6, 1988
Story: Carolyn Underwood; Pictures: John Robertson
From the archive of Jean Watson,
Former Nursing Auxiliary at Colton Ward and The Squirrels, Rushden Hospital.
Transcribed by Greville Watson, January 2010

HELP IS AT HAND

Happy Times . . . for SEN Joanna Broderick and Fatima

Parents in the Wellingborough and Rushden area have reason to be grateful to a dedicated team which offers them a lifeline as they come to terms with the difficulties of caring for a handicapped child.

Helping Hand . . . from deputy
sister Joanna Davis for Michael

And for the team of two full-time and 16 part-time staff at Rushden Hospital’s Colton ward, the satisfaction of watching a child accomplish tasks which would be common-place for an able bodied youngster years younger is the reward.

Sister Sally Childs, who has been in charge of the unit for the past 10 years, can remember tears rolling down the faces of her staff as they watched a severely handicapped eight-year-old take his first steps.

She said: “The work is slow and time-consuming. You cannot expect instant results. But the rewards are seeing a child lift a spoon to feed himself for the first time – or perhaps teenagers taking their first steps after hours spent encouraging them and holding their hands as they learn.”

Distances

The ward first opened 20 years ago. Until that time youngsters in the Rushden and Wellingborough area had to travel long distances and many families were unable to make the journeys regularly.

Sister Childs said: “It was then decided to open the Colton Ward as a temporary measure until the Princess Marina unit near Northampton was built.

“Although Princess Marina opened in the early 1970s the Colton Ward remained because it met the local need.”

In those days the ward had 20 beds and the majority of youngsters were cared for on a full-time basis with a few taken in for phased care.

About eight years ago it was decided to transfer the full-time adolescents to Princess Marina and turn the Rushden ward into a 13-bed phased care unit.

The spare bedroom was furnished to provide a headquarters for a parents’ support group where any problems relating to the care of handicapped children could be discussed.

Now the room serves as a meeting place for an under-fives group which caters for children with learning difficulties. The ward also offers families with handicapped children an opportunity to take the occasional break.

For many it provides a lifeline from the continual pressure generated by the constant care and attention needed by the mentally and physically handicapped.

Playtime . . . for Daniel, helped
by volunteer Tanya Courtney

Unrelieved attention to a mentally or physically handicapped child – particularly when there are other lively, able-bodied children in the family – can put a tremendous strain on family life.

Breakdowns

Several parents have confided that the service has saved a marriage and prevented nervous breakdowns. The ward caters for handicapped children aged from a few months through to 16 years. Sister Childs believes parents should be encouraged to allow phased care as early as possible after a handicap is detected, to climatise both themselves and the child to occasional care outside the home.

Most of the youngsters go in for a spell during the school holidays and at weekends. But for some parents, the occasional day free to devote more attention to able-bodied children in the family, or even to go shopping or visit the hairdresser or dentist, is welcomed.

The staff offer basic care to the youngsters including toilet training, feeding and physiotherapy. Trips with staff into the town centre are a pleasure and thanks to the generosity of local wellwishers, the youngsters also have a wide range of toys which are designed specifically to cater for their needs. The star attraction is an indoor hydrotherapy pool which has been provided by supporters. A total of £26,000 was raised which covered the initial cost of the pool and helps to meet running costs.

Two children are now able to keep themselves afloat in the pool without aid, and others also enjoy the freedom of limb movement in water which their handicaps normally deny them.

Sister Childs said she was delighted by the attitude of Rushden people towards the handicapped children. “People accept the fact that the children are handicapped, and they are welcomed into the shops. Many organisations have virtually adopted us and now provide regular treats such as a firework party.”

There is also no lack of volunteers to help with ward care and many teenagers who have spent some of their school time on community work, return regularly afterwards.

Both Sister Childs and her deputy, Joanna Davis, carried out volunteer work there before taking up full time careers.

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