Friendly Rounds – Slovenia (SloMSIC)

Name of the activity: Friendly Rounds

Country/NMO: Slovenia (SloMSIC)

Program: Mental Health

Type of the activity: Third Party Activities

General description:

4 workshops are organized every month – 2 in the Geriatric clinic and 2 in the Pediatrician clinic. We will contribute to their well-being (mental health) by involving and inviting patients to collaborate in informal activities according to their wishes. We will play cards, board games and teach each other some new ones, crate art (Christmas ornaments, celling decorations, greetings cards, jewelry), listen to the music or learn some new songs, etc.). By executing the previously mentioned activities we can significantly aid in the improvement to the development and reinforcement of stigmas as well as provide support to those in need. With organizing movie nights with psychiatric movies for medicine students we will improve their knowledge of psychiatric and mental health and prepare them to work with psychiatric patients.

Focus area:

Mental Health among the general population

Problem statement:

Our main object of focus is to alienate the stigmatization of psychiatric patients by organizing group workshops of five medical students and approximately ten patients of pediatric or geriatric psychiatry. The preferable achieved goal is to work together by group talking, making various crafts (Christmas and Easter ornaments, origami …), singing and playing musical instruments or playing group board games.

Target groups and beneficiaries:

Target groups: Patients of Pediatric and Geriatric psychiatry. The primal goal is to improve the quality of their lives while being hospitalized and to present a confident. Students are the ones who also benefit, because they can improve their social skills and learn new ways to interact while carrying out clinical practices with patients.

Objectives and indicators of success:

Many studies find that patients’ well-being can be improved by taking part in informal activities, creating art, talking with people of similar age. Success indicators are visible signs of happiness (smiles), general mood improvement and verbal positive feedback gained from the medical personnel and the patients themselves. What is more, students are after going through their first workshop inspired and even more motivated to provide help to others in need.

Methodology:

We will organize at least 4 workshops every month – 2 at the Geriatric clinic and 2 at the Pediatrician clinic. We will contribute to their well-being (mental health) by involving and inviting patients to collaborate in informal activities according to their wishes. We will play cards, board games and teach each other some new ones, crate art (Christmas ornaments, celling decorations, greetings cards, jewelry), listen to the music or learn some new songs, etc.). In addition, we will organize 3 movie nights for medicine students, who will watch movies with psychiatric content, learn about some specific psychiatric diseases and get the answers on questions about working with that kind of patients.

Plans for evaluation:

We will regularly organize meetings to evaluate success of individual groups (whether the patients show signs of improvements, etc.) in order to optimize our approach to patients accordingly, so that we help as many people as we can, as best as we can. Furthermore, we often receive a direct feedback after carrying out our workshops when being asked about our return and seeing their satisfaction. Occasionally we are being approached by the medical personnel regarding the excitement and enthusiasm of the patients when being told about our arrival.