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What are Some Activities for Dementia Parents?

There are lots of daily activities that can be used with dementia patients. The magic table, a part of the Happiness Programme, uses interactive light technology to provide a sensory experience for those who use it. It’s a specialist piece of equipment designed to bring joy and happiness and is proven to have a hugely positive impact on those that use it.

Not a member of the Happiness Programme?

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 dementialearning 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.

The Happiness Programme at Ogilvy Court

Ogilvy Court, a London-based Care UK home, began their Happiness Programme subscription in the beginning of 2021. We had a conversation with Lifestyle Coordinator, Kelly Wellmann, to see how the Happiness Programme had been helping her residents.

 

Happy beginnings

Kelly started by speaking about how they had found their first few months with the Happiness Programme:

“We’ve been using the Happiness Programme for well over six months now. It’s worked really well with our residents that live with learning disabilities. I tend to use the programme with residents who maybe can’t interact or take part in regular activities or group sessions.”

She continues:

“We often use it as a distraction technique with certain residents who can become agitated or upset. It’s been really useful for de-escalating those situations.”

 

Bringing the magic inside

Kelly then speaks about how the Happiness Programme is making a difference for people who may experience isolation:

“We have some residents who spend a lot of time in their rooms. This means that their days can often revolve around the same routine. The Happiness Programme is bringing something different to their days. I can go into their rooms and chat with them, but nothing compares to how they light up when they see the flowers on the walls, or hear birds singing. It’s magical and it’s bringing the world inside for these people.”

Kelly speaks about residents that have benefitted from the addition of the Happiness Programme to their routines:

“There is one gentleman who doesn’t react with other residents due to his conditions. When we introduced the Happiness Programme he really enjoyed playing Match of the Day and Air Hockey with me. We were shouting and laughing and he really came out of his shell. It’s great to see him interacting because he’s usually in his room.”

She continues:

“We have one lady who loves animals, but due to COVID-19, we’ve been unable to have services visit the home. However, with the animal based games on the magic table 360, we’ve been able to keep that passion going for her.”

 

Building up the skills

Kelly speaks about how the Happiness Programme is helping certain residents build up their motor skills and cognitive abilities:

“We have one lady who has advanced dementia, and because of this she can often get confused and struggles to communicate. During one Happiness Programme session, she very clearly said ‘It’s beautiful’ as she was looking at Flower Bloom. When I went back for another session I asked her whether she would like to see the flowers again. She replies ‘oh, yes!’ enthusiastically which was amazing because she usually finds it difficult to convey her emotions.”

Kelly tells us about one last resident at Ogilvy Court:

“There is one lady who really struggles with her coordination, and we were using paper plates as props whilst playing with Flower Bloom.  She took the plate from me and dropped it, but she did this repeatedly. She became really focused on repeating these actions and working on her coordination and movement. It was amazing to see!”

Kelly finishes:

“I would definitely recommend the Happiness Programme to other care services. It’s a really valuable tool.”

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