Photo Credit: Memorial HermannHealth
TIRR Memorial Hermann-The Woodlands hosts 5th Annual Sensory-Friendly Santa
TIRR Memorial Hermann-The Woodlands hosted its 5th annual Sensory-Friendly Santa event, providing a calm, inclusive environment for pediatric patients to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus.
The event offered individualized 10-minute sessions for each child, free from the sensory challenges of traditional Santa visits they might find elsewhere like large crowds, loud noises, and bright lights. Families shared heartwarming stories, with many saying this was the first time their child felt comfortable enough to engage with Santa.
View moments from 5th annual Sensory-Friendly Santa event in the video below:
Video courtesy of Memorial Hermann, Edited by Jennifer Bruse / Hello Woodlands
Katelyn Navarro, Physical Therapist at TIRR Memorial Hermann The Woodlands, shared about the Sensory-Friendly Santa event stating, “Sometimes the environment itself can just be too much for these kiddos, so we wanted to create an environment for them to have a safe space, a familiar space, to be able to come into to to see Santa and Mrs. Claus…It’s amazing. This is our fifth year to do it. It probably bring tears to my eyes every every year. And it’s special for the kids, but I feel like it’s also special for the parents. The parents I feel like are so appreciative of what we do here and so excited to have this environment and this safe space for their kids to come see Santa…They get so excited whenever they see Santa and Mrs. Claus and we try to make it fun and interactive for them with bubbles and music and just a nice little quiet space, but they get to experience things that every other kid gets to experience, which is meaningful.”
Learn more about TIRR Memorial Hermann-The Woodlands by visiting https://memorialhermann.org/locations/tirr-inpatient-rehabilitation-the-woodlands.
Source: Memorial Hermann
