The Zeminal was very well-liked...so well-liked that it was taken home by a patient!  We solved the problem and used Simply Better funds in the name of that patient to buy a replacement on Amazon.  She was a bit withdrawn, and after Child Life gave her the Zeminal, they reported that she was more talkative with them, and she requested to keep it overnight (which then led to her being discharged early and taking it with her!).

I have only used the Zenimal with one patient so far, but I thought it was a great tool! I found it extremely useful in empowering patients/families to continue to utilize coping skills like deep breathing and guided meditation that we frequently work with them in building for pain management purposes, relaxation during procedures, etc. Often times patients and caregivers are so receptive to the strategies we teach them and are able to successfully implement them with us present to help with coaching, but then struggle to continue building on those skills or utilizing them when we are no longer at bedside. With the patient (10y with chronic health needs, difficulty with pain management) I utilized it with, I was able to introduce it to the patient and initially practice the skills together, then leave it at bedside for him to continue to use without me. Per him/mom, he used it multiple times over the course of the few days he had it for relaxation purposes, as well as to help him fall asleep at night! After he trialed it and I’d gotten it back from him, he had a period of intense pain where he requested to have it back to continue to use and help him engage in deep breathing, etc. So overall I would call it successful!

I ordered Zenimals for our school, so that each classroom would have their own. Each class named their special turtle and they are using Zenimals everyday in the classroom. They are a wonderful addition!

I have used the Zenimal meditation for both infants and teenagers for PICC line supports and to help teens feel calm when they are feeling stressed. I like that the charge seems to last long and there are different options to use for meditation or a sound machine. Staff who are doing the procedures have mentioned that they feel calmer with having the sounds in the room and that it does work well. I also like that I can use it for different ages. Having some of their how to best use tips and tricks I think could be really helpful to best utilize it to its full potential!

We have really enjoyed using the Zenimal with our patients here at the hospital! Although our pediatric population varies in needs and coping styles, the patients that we have been able to use this with have really enjoyed it! We even had a patient ask for one for her birthday and makes sure to ask for it with each admission.

Our staff have expressed that they like this product. It seems like our inpatient units such as our ICU and Oncology use them the most, as well as our outpatient autism center. We have this on our Amazon wish list as well.

I always keep a spare in my backpack for when I sub. Yesterday I went out to a really challenging school and a kid came in with tears in his eyes and nothing was making it better. He became scared and eloped from the program a couple of times. I asked his regular staff what he does when he feels this way and they said "draw". To no surprise he refused to draw. I told him " Do you like turtles? I have something I want to show you." I pulled out the Zenimal and explained what it does. He tried it out and went with the restoration mode. He closed his eyes and literally within seconds he uttered "oh, it's a happy space" and it was like night and day. He started talking about it to every kid and by the end of the day around 12-15 kids were all laying on their backs listening to the Zenimal. This was a pretty powerful moment I wanted to share as a solid 65% of the kids at that school are on an IEP. All the ones using it are generally known as "challenging kids", and they were so calm and redirectable. Your impact is felt in the hearts, minds and souls of these kids. I'm glad we have the opportunity to keep safe spaces and minds within our spaces and the kids. It is all because of people like you. thank you.