Who in their family or social circle hasn’t experienced the painful ordeal of a child’s hospitalization?
Whether short or long, this experience is always perceived by the child, beyond the suffering, as an isolation that does not promote healing.
How can hospitalized children make friends, have fun, communicate, and continue their education when they are unable to move?
This is where the non-profit organization Doctor Mouse has been intervening since June 2003.
The organization provides hospitalized children and teenagers with a range of resources and services that enable facilitated communication with their relatives or other patients, access to the Internet, and the use of laptops. Through these means, it hopes to promote healing and improve the well-being of young patients with a system specially designed for them.
To do this, the organization equips pediatric hospital centers with laptops connected via a Wifi network, on which the Doctor Mouse software and all necessary entertaining software are installed.
Each individual can thus:
– Communicate via instant messaging or email with their family and other patients through a completely secure Internet portal and directory.
– Learn by accessing the Digital Knowledge Channel of the National Education, the France5 multimedia educational content site (lesite.tv), encyclopedias, the Paraschool tutoring software, and all the wealth of information and activities provided by the Internet.
– Be entertained with software, games, DVD movies, music CDs, and radio portals.
Together, the hospital and partners educate teachers on how to use the hardware and software.
The organization also has a social mission since all generously donated laptops are recycled through a Restos du Coeur workshop.
After the hospitals Armand Trousseau, Necker, and Robert Debré in Paris, and Debrousse in Lyon, the organization hopes to extend its actions to provinces, particularly in Nice at the Archet hospital.
The goal is to equip the 5 services (90 beds) reserved for young patients in the women-mother-child center.
A steering committee for the project has been established, including decision-makers from the Archet Hospital and the Doctor Mouse association. The first meeting of the committee took place on Monday, August 8, 2005.
Already, a significant local actor is supporting the project: the Higher School of Computer Science (Supinfo) in Nice will be responsible for the daily support of the solution.
However, to successfully carry out this project, Doctor Mouse still needs funds and laptops.
Therefore, companies, foundations, or individuals who wish to contribute to this project are welcome.
Website: https://www.docteursouris.asso.fr/main.asp
Franck Viano
