Joan Hart is the "grandma cuddler" in the neonatal intensive care unit at New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Hospital and she provides a valuable service to ill toddlers when their mothers can’t be there.
Hart, 81, was the first "cuddler" in hospital's cuddler program that has been around since 2011, according to Health Matters. The volunteers in the program cradle the children in their arms when the toddler cries, bringing comfort to babies who need hospitalization.
"The Cuddler Program helps parents feel a little bit better knowing that their baby will be comforted and soothed when they are not here," said Christy Dowd, a child life specialist who works closely with Hart and the other volunteers, per Health Matters.
"These babies' brains are like sponges, and they're learning more and more each day," Dowd said. "When they are receiving different medical procedures and constant negative stimuli, it's extremely important for their social-emotional development to have that comforting touch in between."
Hart takes the subway 1½ hours from Queens to the Washington Heights neighborhood in Manhattan, where she takes on the job of calming the nerves of the littlest of patients at New York-Presbyterian.
"We're not taking temperatures," Hart told Health Matters. "We're not drawing blood. We're not showing them how to move. We're just a love bug. That's it. And what better thing to do than to bring a little bit of joy and a kind touch?"
ABC News said that even though Hart does not have any medical training and is not medically treating the babies, the hugs provide a soothing benefit.
"The best part is the actual cuddling, holding them in my arms and seeing them respond is a wonderful thing too," said Hart, adding that she often talks and sings to the children, per ABC News. "That they know they're being loved. They're comfortable in my arms, I have no other job except to make them happy and keep them safe and comfortable."
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