Residents at a Doddington care home have been surprised during the coronavirus pandemic after they received a dementia-friendly interactive projector.
Despite lockdown measures stopping fundraising activity, Askham Village Community have instead put forward £6,000 to complete a year of fundraising efforts for a state-of-the-art OM Interactive projector, which was unveiled last week.
With restrictions in movement in place across the five homes that make up the community, the projector aims to play a vital part in keeping residents’ minds healthy, active and stimulated through a range of cognitive experiences.
The projector is designed to stimulate, relax and encourage memory recall through natural scenes and sounds, including virtual water effects, as well as nostalgic themes and music.
Joanne Monaghan, head of care and nursing and registered manager at Askham Hall and Askham House, said: “The projector has already brought a lot of joy and positivity in light of what is going on in the world at the moment.
“It’s a really high-tech piece of equipment that’s inclusive to everyone. It has wheels so is easily transferable and can project on tables, the floor or a bed, the latter being beneficial to those who are bed-bound.
“We look after residents who have repetitive actions like tapping so it can bring a lot of stimulation and happiness by letting them sweep projected leaves, paint colourful images on walls, or touch and cause ripples in projected ponds.”
Ms Monaghan added: “It’s a piece of equipment the staff have wanted for a long time, so to have Askham surprise us by accelerating the purchase is amazing - it shows they support us on the ideas we come up with.”
After an initial demonstration of the projector last year, staff found that residents and their families instantly took to it, encouraging the team’s fundraising efforts to get one of their own.
More than £2,000 was raised through raffles, bingo, coffee mornings, ‘name the stuffed toy’ challenges and crazy hat days, with some staff even dying their hair purple to help achieve the fundraising target.
Kerrie Whytock, Askham’s activities coordinator, said: “The new projector is a major asset to Askham.
“The residents are having great fun using it and already have a favourite game – they love challenging the staff to air hockey!”
Let us know what you’re doing for others during the coronavirus pandemic - email Daniel.Mason@archant.co.uk with more information.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here