Mr. Tim Conolan AM1
1 TLC for Kids, Brunswick, Australia
Biography:
Tim Conolan founded TLC for Kids in 1998 to provide immediate support to sick children and their families when needed. Their services have been used millions of times to help children. An Australian of the Year and Member of the Order of Australia, his mission remains: supporting all sick children.
With over 25 years of experience in distraction and diversion for sick children in hospitals, TLC for Kids services are used over 1 million times yearly. The aim is to reach and support not just sick kids and their families but anyone facing stress or anxiety during challenging and confronting times.
Abstract:
The TLC Distraction Box was created in consultation with Play Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Child Life Therapists to provide an invaluable resource to assist in non-pharmacological support methods for children during medical procedures or examinations. The contents of each Distraction Box meet the infection control protocols within the hospital sector (as the items are used multiple times by multiple patients). Each toy and item have specific purposes to engage and empower the patient while reducing stress, anxiety, fear and negative feelings.
The research identified a need to reach many more children in the wider community who would benefit from some positive distraction due to increasing social pressures and mental health issues related to stress, medical conditions or any anxiety-provoking situation.
After further consultation with hospitals that are using various apps as a digital distraction, it was found there was a need for a resource that was free, safe, child-friendly, accessible and did not require logins, payments or include pop-up ads.
To increase the availability of our services beyond clinical care, we developed a digital version of our Distraction Box called Tap 2 Distract that can be accessed anywhere (even in Ambulances), anytime, and by anyone with a smart device.