Technology has changed and continues to change the way we communicate, share our lives and do business. It’s also making a huge difference in the healthcare sector, with assistive technology changing the lives of those suffering from or caring for those with dementia.

What is assistive technology?
Broadly speaking, the term includes any technology-based tools or devices that help people living with disabilities to complete a task. In the case of dementia patients, this type of technology is helping them live independently for longer, improving their quality of life and putting carers at ease. Examples include sensors that deliver a pre-recorded message when triggered – these can remind individuals to switch off the oven, lock the front door etc. – clocks that show the date and day of the week and indicate AM or PM for those struggling to keep track of time, and apps or keyrings that can locate someone who has gone for a walk and forgotten how to get home.

One of the most exciting innovations in this space is the Tovertafel (Dutch for magic table). While it may not be an assistive technology in the strictest sense of the term, it is helping to reduce apathy in dementia patients – an important assignment given that 90 percent of dementia patients living in care facilities suffer from this state of being.

The brainchild of industrial designer, Hester Le Riche, the table was born out of her PhD, which aimed to “reduce passivity among elderly with dementia by developing a product that stimulates physical activity and social interaction.”

The Tovertafel is a small box of specialised components that projects a series of specially designed games onto the table below it. As patients reach out to touch the colourful projections on the table, these “respond to hand and arm movements” with the result that “residents get to play with the light itself.”

Ready to watch the magic happen?

Sources
Bbc.com
Alzheimers.org.uk
Webaccess.berkeley.edu
Tovertafel.co.uk