An initiative that makes use of interactive gentle know-how to develop actions and video games for individuals with dementia has been rolled out by the Alzheimer’s Society in partnership with Sport England and Social-Means.
The Happiness Programme, developed by Social-Means, launched in 10 care houses nationwide, together with London, Sheffield, Derby, Manchester and Newcastle on 13 Might 2024, with the goal of bringing “laughter and happiness” to residents.
Members within the programme are invited to check out actions which make use of sunshine know-how, enabling customers to have interaction in bodily and mentally partaking video games like popping bubbles, taking part in the piano, colouring footage, sweeping leaves in addition to different actions like karaoke, bingo and quizzes.
The actions are delivered utilizing a conveyable projector which may used can be utilized on surfaces resembling flooring, ceilings, partitions, whiteboards or beds.
Actions can even characteristic props to additional enhance vary of movement with video games like balloon popping or seashore ball.
John Ramsay, managing director and co-founder of Social-Means, mentioned that he based the organisation “to deliver laughter and happiness to everybody going through dementia in addition to for palliative care, rehabilitation, and people with studying disabilities”.
“Working collaboratively is extraordinarily essential to us to develop the impression of Social-Means, and we’re honoured to be working alongside such a artistic and skilled innovation crew.
“We’re so excited to see the outcomes of the challenge – in 2024, no person residing with dementia ought to be with out laughter or exercise,” Ramsay mentioned.
The challenge, which is funded by Sport England, will begin with a three-month part specializing in present Happiness Programme video games, adopted by an extra three-month part testing newly-developed actions to check how video games can encourage motion and bodily exercise.
Simon Lord, head of innovation at Alzheimer’s Society, mentioned: “Retaining energetic is vastly essential for individuals with dementia and has a spread of advantages resembling improved high quality of life.
“This partnership underscores our dedication to evidence-based practices, and we stay up for seeing the outcomes of the brand new significant actions and the potential improved outcomes for individuals residing with dementia”.
The Happiness Programme has been rolled out by greater than 1,250 of Social-Means’s companions within the UK, Eire and Canada.
A ballot funded by Alzheimer’s UK and Innovate UK final yr, discovered that greater than two-thirds of GPs within the UK would really like the flexibility to prescribe assistive applied sciences to their sufferers when they’re identified with dementia.