Hello Kiddies, Parents, Caregivers, and Teachers!
There are just some things worth bragging about and this is one of those things.
Ms. Rose is delighted to discover and learn more about My Special Aflac Duck® as part of the Aflac Childhood Cancer Campaign. Aflac is an American Insurance company founded in 1955.
Aflac’s unique cancer care policy and partnership with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center makes it a valuable ally to fight pediatric cancer. It has been more than 35 years, since a significant and sizable contribution by then CEO Dan Amos to pediatric cancer, provided the foundation for the development and commitment for the campaign to continue. Aflac has provided direct funding to pediatric cancer research but found that social and emotional needs needed to be met. This resulted in the creation of the My Special Aflac Duck®. The My Special Aflac Duck® started in 2018. Aflac along with its not-for-profit partners in the children advocacy space along with input from Kiddie cancer patients and families from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center helped to create the duck through careful research and development. The duck is a robotic companion and is suitable for 3 years and up, for Kiddies who have been diagnosed with cancer. The duck is free and can be requested by medical professionals/facilities here.
My Special Aflac Duck® contains Medical Play Accessories, Feeling Cards, and Soundscape™ Spaceship features. In addition, Aflac has also provided an app that expands the duck’s features further and provides an interactive virtual story-telling scape for Kiddie’s to learn more about the duck’s world.
The Medical Play Accessories provided include a port-a-cath, stethoscope, pulse oximeter, syringe, and self-adherent wrap. Medical Play therapy especially with these accessories can provide kiddies the needed familiarity, with medical equipment and tools, that they may face in a clinical setting. Familiarity can diminish fears and increase confidence. This is so valuable considering the amount of time a Kiddie may spend in the hospital for treatments. The Feelings Cards are located on the duck’s chest, Kiddies can simply use them to communicate their feelings by tapping on the chest, which lights up. Kiddies at 3 years old + often do not have the capabilities to identify and describe their feelings. The Feelings Cards can help Kiddie’s express their feelings by visually identifying their feelings and communicating this more effectively to their medical care team.
The Soundscapes™ feature provides Kiddies with soothing or distracting sounds of the forest, ocean, farm, or amusement park. Contributions from Child Life Specialists and Psychologists assisted with designing these sounds as part of distraction therapy. These special soundscapes can assist with diminishing anxiety and fear or can provide an audible distraction from uncomfortable bedside procedures; such as shots, painful dressing changes, or catheter changes etc.
The My Special Aflac Duck® is truly a wonderful companion for Kiddies battling pediatric cancer. I hope you were delighted to learn about this comforting tool for Kiddies battling a tough disease and that you keep them and their families in your thoughts!
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