The hug room is a room of emotions, which shortens distances by allowing Covid-19 patients and their families to hug again. A safe hug, with no risk of contagion. The idea, born in the RSA “Domenico Sartor” of Castelfranco Veneto, in the Treviso area, has already been appreciated and shared by other nursing homes.
A special box
The hug room is a special transparent plastic box with two holes in which you can insert your arms. Patients and family members, protected by a lab coat and gloves, can, through this protective barrier, shake hands and hug each other, shortening the distances imposed by the anti-Covid regulations. And it is a great emotion for everyone to finally be able to touch each other after a long separation and feel the warmth of loved ones again. A great comfort, especially for the elderly who have been hospitalized for some time in nursing homes. Those same elderly people who for months were forced to remain at the mercy of loneliness and victims of depression. The room is also known as the "borderless emotions".
An idea shared from north to south
The idea has already spread from north to south. In the RSA “Sacro Cuore” in Brugnato (La Spezia), for example, hugs are allowed by an inflatable tent with a rigid plastic wall in the center. Two soft veil sleeves are inserted into it to insert the arms. The room was placed on an exit of the retirement home. The medical director of the facility, Roberto Spadoni, explained the importance of physical contact, especially in a period of forced social distancing, such as the current one. "Medicines alone - he said - are not able to cure everything, there is a part linked to the psyche, to memories, to affections that is fundamental". The “Anna Maria” Residence in Ivrea has also followed suit.
Cosenza also wanted the hug room
In the South, the room of hugs has arrived in Laurignano (Cosenza), in the “Madonna della Catena” nursing home accredited by the National Health System for intensive and extensive rehabilitation and for severe celiac disease. Giancarlo Greco, head of iGreco Ospedali Riuniti, spoke about this great opportunity for patients and families. “The images and testimonies of these months - he said - have shown us the loneliness and helplessness of the sick and relatives in front of the wall that the virus has built around itself. We wanted to introduce this special corner into the structure, to overcome and make this barrier less impassable and to put families in the conditions of being able to look into each other's eyes and hug each other, at zero centimeter. We believe that the treatment of emotions - concluded the manager - is worth a lot in the path of rehabilitation and that opening to visits, after a long time of closure, can represent an important moment. We think of the elderly, in particular, of those who have had a stroke or have undergone orthopedic surgery ".
A brilliant intuition
The hug room is truly a brilliant intuition, an idea that - we are sure - will be copied everywhere. Because never before, physical contact becomes indispensable for patients battling the virus. The hug has the power to bring the body and mind of people closer, transmitting warmth and affection. Even when, as in this case, they are "lined with prudence", the hugs produce an extraordinary and saving effect. So, hug rooms are welcome, doors open to emotions.