Paxton Hall Care Home near Cambridge specialises in providing warm, empathic and close care for those suffering from dementia in their later years. For too long, dementia sufferers have been unable to engage in communal leisure activity as much as we, their families and indeed the sufferers themselves would like. After a major investment from the home, and generous contributions from an ex-resident’s family and our resident’s fund – we’re proud to announce a Magic Table (Tover Tafel in Danish) has been installed, and is allowing our residents with dementia the opportunity to interact with a virtual space, risk free, and play games either alone or with fellow residents!
The resident in the picture is playing one of the games offered by the Magic Table. This game allows residents to sweep away leaves and discover ladybirds. The Tover Tafel, developed in university setting in Denmark (hence the name meaning magic table) works by projecting an image downward onto a table (the images projected depend on the game being played) – and then tracks the hand (or other body) movement of residents as they play the game through infrared tracking, resulting in the projections being responsive to the game being played – such as leaves, a ball or a musical note moving when being brushed away!
Magic Table is specially designed for people living with dementia, carries great benefits while being discreetly installed in the dining room, preventing a change in the familiar surroundings the residents are accustomed to enjoy (change can lead to heightened anxiety for those with dementia). The table allows staff to work with residents with degrees of dementia using up to 20 different games such as Sayings, Space, Leaves, Fish, Butterflies, Soap Bubbles, Beach Ball, Football Flowers etc.
Magic Table was co-designed with care workers as well as residents and their families in a university setting in Denmark – leading to games and carefully designed experiences that are already improving self-esteem, combating apathy and increasing resident’s physical and mental activity levels! In fact, games work at three levels: Relaxation, Reminiscence and Sensory stimulation and each resident is able to engage with a game at his/her own level.
We are very happy that our residents’ lives are better through a combination of our dedicated and highly trained staff, and embracing innovative technology-based solutions. Paxton Hall aims to provide one of the best residential experiences for those in care and especially those who suffer from dementia, by improving quality of life through technology, empathy, teamwork and personal care.
Take a look at the games available here: Games Overview
Paxton Hall prides itself as a highly reputable dementia care home in Cambridgeshire, with trained staff dedicated to constant care in a safe, secure, and beautiful environment. If you’re concerned about yourself, or someone you know, you can seek advice from the Alzheimer’s Society, the NHS, and of course with your GP (ideally bring the person with the symptoms with you).
To find out more about Paxton Hall in Cambridge, click here, and see the Magic Table in action in the gallery below or visit Paxton Hall in person!