The people that attend our centre all have some form of dementia, mental illness or cognitive impairment. Our aim is to provide stimulating activities in a safe and secure environment. We are continually looking for new ways to provide mental stimulation and enjoyment and to engage people that are often extremely withdrawn or unable to communicate.

We have recently been assessing a new technology from Holland called Tovertafel (or ‘Magic Table’). Tovertafel was developed in the Netherlands by PhD student Hester Le Riche to create something to stimulate activity – physical, mental and social – in people with later stage dementia. Launched in March 2015, there are already 1,250 Tovertafels installed in care homes in the Benelux countries. It got its name from someone with dementia who announced when trying it that “this is a magic table”.

The system consists of a ceiling projector that projects moving images onto an ordinary table. Movement sensors recognise when ‘players’ touch objects, causing them to move. The system enables a group of six or so people with dementia and their carers to play a range of games, moving balls, chasing fish and sweeping leaves.