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The team at Alexandra Grange told us about one of their residents, ‘B’, and the incredible outcomes they’ve seen as a result of using the Happiness Programme.
This is the first in our series of resident case studies. We spoke to the team at Alexandra Grange, a Berkshire-based Hallmark home, about the impact of the Happiness Programme. We took a look at the effect on a specific resident, ‘B’.
The team at Alexandra Grange tell us the story…
‘B’ has lived at Alexandra Grange since the home opened in 2011. ‘B’ lives on ‘M’ community and has an amazing rapport with the team, however, due to deterioration and progression in her dementia over the past year, she has stopped communication verbally and spends most of her time in bed.
The team found engaging with ‘B’ increasingly difficult. When completing her Thomas tool profile, we noticed that she was at high risk of isolation and finding activities meaningful for ‘B’ was difficult.
Upon the introduction of the Happiness Programme and the interactive projector, ‘B’ was instantly obsessed. She loved the colours, the sounds and she started using her hand, which was amazing (as she has very limited use of her hands).
‘B’ began slowly making noises and faces to certain games. One day, when asked if ‘B’ was enjoying using the projector by another resident who was supporting her to use it, she said “Yes.” It was a magical moment.
‘B’ slowly started saying yes more and then said no to something that was offered by the carers, so her vocabulary was growing again!
‘B’ also gained weight during this time – up to 5kg.
We noticed that using the Happiness Programme and the interactive projector before mealtimes greatly helped in her appetite and engagement, which they feel has been crucial in her weight gain.
‘B’ had a visit from all of her family; her daughter, granddaughter and her great grandchildren. Normally, this type of visit can be quite emotional and draining for everyone. On this visit, we used the interactive projector in ‘B’s bed to provide a different focus. The great grandchildren were fascinated and ‘B’ came to life once again, tapping bubbles at the same time as her great grandchildren. This led to them asking her questions and she would answer “yes.”. One of them said she loved ‘B’ and she answered “yes.” and rested her hand on theirs.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. The team no longer worry about what activity to engage ‘B’ with. They just take the table with them and spend time with her. The care team enjoy the engagements and feel empowered to do activities alone.
The Happiness Programme is a first-of-its-kind initiative helping to change the lives of people living with cognitive challenges. We use interactive light technology to provide meaningful activities for residents and patients in care homes and care settings. For more detail on what the Happiness Programme is and how it’s helping care venues across the UK, visit our getting started page.
Alternatively, jump to our dementia, learning disability and NHS pages for more specific detail on how it’s helping care homes like Barchester and HC-One as well as hospitals and local authorities such as St George’s Hospital, London and Westminster and South Kensington Council.
For anything else, you can contact us here too.
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