Interactive projector helps dementia patients in Bournemouth
AN INNOVATIVE new piece of equipment at Royal Bournemouth Hospital has been praised for bringing joy to patients living with dementia.
Bournemouth Hospital recently took delivery of a new sensory projector which uses meaningful activities to encourage movement, active participation and shared enjoyment for patients.
The omiVista Mobii interactive projection system is designed for people at all stages of dementia. It helps users achieve greater socialisation and communication, physical movement and lucidity.
Katie Horswill, dementia and delirium team lead at Bournemouth, said “We arranged for a demonstration of the omiVista on one of our older persons wards and instantly saw the huge positive impact it would have on our patients and staff.
“We are currently caring for a gentleman who is living with dementia who was quite withdrawn when he first came into hospital and we needed to find a way to engage with him. We thought we would try the omiVista.
“We chose to use a picture of an unpainted, black and white fence projected onto a table. I placed one of the paint brushes in the patient’s hand and asked him if he would kindly help me paint the fence. He instantly started painting and the projected image started to fill with colour.
“It was so lovely to see and quite emotional to watch.”
Elior launches interactive sensory tables into care estate
Elior UK is rolling out the introduction of interactive sensory tables into its retirement living and care homes, following a successful trial at Anchor extra care locations.
The Mobi interactive sensory table is a portable projection system that can be used on any surface- a table, the floor or a bed. Users can engage in over 150 different activities ranging from painting flowers and walking through fish filled water to playing games such as football or shove penny.
Laura Tighe, Elior’s managing director for health, care and residential living, said: “We are always looking for innovative ways to enhance our offering for our clients and their residents and these interactive tables are a wonderful way to enrich the residents’ day and create a fun way for our team to interact with the residents in their care.”
The Mobi interactive sensory table won the National Dementia Care Outstanding Project Award in 2018 for the opportunities and benefits that it created for people at all stages of dementia.
Pete Newman, catering contracts manager at Anchor, added: “We were excited to trial these interactive sensory tables at our extra care locations. The feedback from the residents was wonderful and our care teams were delighted to see the joy and positive impact created by this innovative and engaging projection system.”
Welcoming the latest care innovations to Potters Grange
Have you heard of an interactive magic board? It is a motion-activated projection system that’s enables it’s user to truly interact and get involved with a choice of activities, including games, music, reminiscence, and lots more.
The clever design and mobile ability of the interactive table has meant that we can bring the interaction to residents wherever suits them best. The machine can be projected onto a bedsheet or side table to give complete comfortability to individuals, for some this really has made a huge impact to their day to day lives. It has meant that simple things such as playing games and participating in quizzes with other residents are just that; simple.
Using the board can trigger cherished memories opening up opportunity to share personal stories, it can improve upper body movement and coordination, and enhance mental wellbeing. As well as all these benefits, we can see clear and undeniable enjoyment and laughter from all of our residents.
Interactive sensory activities have had proven benefits for people living with dementia, its opens up doors for learning, socialisation, exercise and can be a truly inclusive and calming activity for them. Carol Pintus, Activities Coordinator at Potters Grange tells us ‘The magic interactive table has become a firm favourite amongst everyone at Potters Grange and opens up ample opportunity for our residents, staff and family members to start conversations and have fun.’