My Special Aflac Duck™ Makes a New Nest at Children’s Hospital in New Orleans

Aflac recently delivered the first My Special Aflac Ducks to Children’s Hospital in New Orleans. My Special Aflac Duck, designed by Sproutel, is a social robot that uses medical play, lifelike movement, and emotions to engage and help comfort kids during their cancer care. The delivery to Children’s Hospital in New Orleans follows more than 18 months of child-centered research conducted with children, parents, and medical providers at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

“As we begin the holiday season, we are proud to deliver My Special Aflac Ducks to children and families facing childhood cancer here at Children’s Hospital in New Orleans,” Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. “My Special Aflac Duck will help provide comfort and joy for children who need it most during this special time of year and throughout their treatments on the road to recovery. Aflac is pleased to make this investment for these courageous kids in such a great community.”

At the delivery event, attendees were treated to a demonstration of My Special Aflac Duck, highlighting how it will help comfort children and serve as a tool for healthcare professionals to use with their patients. After the demonstration, children and their parents were sent on a fun scavenger hunt, finding clues and visiting various locations at the hospital, eventually leading them to the discovery of their very own My Special Aflac Duck. Aflac and Sproutel invested nearly two years to research and develop My Special Aflac Duck.

“We are so pleased to extend My Special Aflac Duck to this wonderful community and create a memorable day for children as a symbol of Aflac’s unwavering commitment to families facing childhood cancer. It is a great source of pride for the entire Aflac family,” The Aflac Foundation, Inc. President Kathelen Amos said. “On behalf of our employees and independent agents, we want to thank the patients, families, and caregivers for allowing us to share our new, innovative Aflac Duck with brave and special children in such an impactful way this holiday season.”

“When we first heard what Aflac was doing to support children with cancer, we knew we wanted to be a part of this incredible and innovative program,” Children’s Hospital, New Orleans Vice President of Development Alicia Franck said. “My Special Aflac Duck is truly a remarkable way to engage children in our hospital and allow them to express themselves through both the difficult and joyful times.”

To date, Aflac has hosted special delivery events for My Special Aflac Duck in five markets (Atlanta; Houston; Nashville; New Orleans; and Columbia, South Carolina) and has distributed ducks to children in hospitals from 31 states. Aflac will continue to expand its My Special Aflac Duck campaign to hospitals across the country, providing a My Special Aflac Duck to any newly diagnosed child in the United States, ages three-13, free of charge. At a cost of $200 per unit to Aflac, the company has invested more than $3 million for the research, design, and delivery of My Special Aflac Duck.

In addition to My Special Aflac Duck, Sproutel has created a companion app available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. The app can be downloaded on smartphones and tablets free of charge. Additional features of My Special Aflac Duck include:

-Emotional expression: Seven RFID-enabled feeling cards help children communicate; the duck acts out a given feeling when that feeling card is tapped to its chest.

-Medical and nurturing play: A chemotherapy port allows children to mirror their care experiences via play, giving them a sense of control during the process. The duck’s no-cost companion app allows users to “bathe” it, “feed” it, and give it “medicine” via augmented reality.

-Music, singing, and nuzzling: The duck sings when music is played. Customizable sounds include gentle waves, wind, and a farm.

-Breathing and heartbeat: The duck produces a naturalistic heartbeat and deep breathing, which caregivers can incorporate into calming routines and exercises.

-Batteries and accessories: Provided so it is ready to use out of the box.

-Convenience: A removable skin, which can be washed to adhere to hospital hygiene standards.

 

12/09/2018