Residents with dementia at the Connaught Care Home in Alderney, through the services of Milly’s Foundation, will be the first in the Channel Islands to benefit from the installation of a ‘Magic Table’ thanks to funding from the Lloyds Bank Foundation for the Channel Islands.
The Tovertafel ‘Magic Table’ is an interactive light game designed for those with mid- to late-stage dementia which has also been trialled in UK care homes recently. Milly’s Foundation will be the first to bring this new piece of tech to the Bailiwick and, indeed, to the Channel Islands through the installation of the device at the Connaught Care Home in Alderney.
The concept was developed by PhD student Hester Le Riche in the Netherlands and uses artificial intelligence to stimulate physical, mental, and social activity using light projected onto any desirable surface in the care home. It is through these simple yet effective games that patients who were once difficult or withdrawn can let go and engage.
Milly’s Foundation was set up by Colin Williams in memory of his beloved wife, Milly. The charity provides day and long-term support for island residents with dementia and for their carers, as well as training for staff of the Connaught Care Home and the Alderney Home Care Service.
Julie Lillington, Branch Manager at Lloyds Bank, Alderney, commented on the positive engagement she saw from residents when she visited the Care Home on behalf of the Lloyds Bank Foundation:
“I can already see that this ‘Magic Table’ is going to make a huge difference for islanders with dementia. On my visit I saw a woman in a wheelchair interacting with the light projections which took the form of butterflies, flowers, and kites and she had a huge smile across her face the whole time. The staff later told me that they haven’t seen her smile for several weeks and they were thrilled to bits to see her engaging like this. This is a great initiative for the Bank’s independently registered Foundation to support.”
Colin Williams, Milly’s Foundation, commented on the installation of their new technology:
“I’m so excited to have the Tovertafel ‘Magic Table’ installed here in Alderney because it will make such a positive difference to Connaught residents. We’ve already seen some of our more withdrawn patients engaging with the new tech with smiles on their faces, and even one who chain smokes stopped smoking for several hours whilst interacting. In time, we would like to see children engaging with the Tovertafel at the same time as the patients so they can essentially interact and ‘play’ together. Milly’s Foundation is very grateful to Lloyds Bank Foundation for their support in enabling us to introduce this engaging device.”
Jo Le Poidevin, Executive Director, Lloyds Bank Foundation for the Channel Islands, commented:
“It’s great to see how the Magic Table is having such a positive impact on people within the first day of the device being installed. The value of this machine is easily seen in the smiles and interaction of islanders at Connaught Care Home and I think after the people from Tovertafel trialled their machine in care homes in Jersey in April we will certainly see more charities across the Channel Islands implementing this technology to improve the lives of people not only with dementia, but with disabilities and other additional needs too.”
