Ava the Elephant – Medicine dispenser for children

It all started in 2005 when Tiffany was working as a nanny with a little boy with Down’s syndrome, named Gibby. Of his many struggles, medicine time was one of the most difficult for him.

“It broke my heart to see him face such difficulties with something I believed could and should be much easier. I knew there was a possibility that I might find a way to turn his unpleasant experience into a pleasant one. After all, I had already accomplished the difficult task of cutting his hair by finding ways to distract him from the “cut” and focus on something else. I did this by demonstrating hair cutting on his stuffed animals. He loved it. This was a major breakthrough for him and after that, he allowed no one but me to cut his hair for a long time”, explained the inventor.

Inspired by the stuffed animals trick, Tiffany created Ava the Elephant.

“Ava the Elephant® was born - made of fabric, sponges, a store bought medicine dropper, and a recordable sound chip from a greeting card! The following day I introduced Ava to Gibby. I explained that I had a new little “friend” that was going to give him is medicine and I pressed the button. He was delighted! Not only did he like Ava, but he took his medicine without any hesitation. His parents and I were shocked, thrilled and relieved”, she said.

Tiffany presented her idea on Shark Tank, and now she has a new line of medicine dispensers.

More info: http://www.avatheelephant.com/

Adapted from: http://www.avatheelephant.com/pages/tiffanykrumins

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