Child Life Practices: Hand Molds as an End-of-Life Legacy Building Intervention

Abstract

Surrounding the death of a child, child life specialists often offer and create hand molds with or for families in hopes of providing a sense of connection and comfort. To further professionalize the field of child life, it is vital to explore the ways in which professionals perceive hand mold offering and creation. Based on previous research, this study utilizes survey and interview responses to examine what factors child life specialists recognize as important when assessing if and how hand mold interventions should be implemented. Certified child life specialists were asked to reflect on their experiences supporting families through the death of a child when they have chosen to utilize or not utilize hand molds as a legacy building intervention. Common themes related to challenges faced by child life specialists, the importance of family involvement in legacy building interventions, and the influence of intention of hand mold interventions on meaningfulness for families were analyzed and discussed. These findings may be utilized to create a standard of care that will inform practices that value individualized therapeutic hand mold making interventions for families surrounding the death of pediatric patients.