Age UK Medway reveal the charity's first Tovertafel system

Following a live demonstration of the Tovertafel system at Age UK Medway’s Capstone Centre, the managers all agreed that it would be hugely beneficial to our customers to install systems in all our centres. This was no small task, as each unit costs in the region of £9,000. A successful bid to the lottery fund saw a grant awarded to the Chris Ellis Centre, enabling them to become the first local Age UK to install a system.

The Day Centre manager set about speaking to local contractors who agreed to support them in this venture and all the necessary electrical supplies were donated by Edmundson Electrical, and installed free of charge by KAL Home Improvements.

The Tovertafel system originates from Holland, and consists of a projector with built in Wi-Fi which, together with infrared sensors and a computer processor, project games onto a table which respond to the hand and arm movements of the customers.

Sue Hodges, Day Centre Manager of the Chris Ellis Centre, said:

"The Tovertafel has generated a lot of laughter and spontaneous singing. We have an intergenerational group that attends the centre weekly and this system really brings the younger and the older people together. It is useable for a variety of activities and once we get the customers involved we have great difficulty getting them to stop for lunch or anything else."

The system has proven intergenerational benefits, and is particularly effective when working with learning disability and dementia, as the interactive music and sound elements stimulate the brain and aid relaxation and reminiscence. The unit has definite benefits to peoples cognitive skills and also their reflexes.

John Norley, CEO of Age UK Medway, said:

"Working with older people, and particularly those with Dementia, is extremely rewarding for all of our staff and volunteers. Using the Tovertafel to bring moments of happiness to our customers is a perfect way to enhance quality of life, and gives us the chance to see glimpses of the persons personality and life before dementia while they play. New activities often reveal the person that hasn’t been seen for a while, almost like we are finding someone who was lost, through shared discovery.”

See our exclusive reveal video of our first Tovertafel below! Don't forget to suscribe to our new YouTube channel to stay up to date with exciting news: https://bit.ly/2Lb9mbr