Dementia is a disease that affects 50 million people in the world. Most kinds of dementia cannot be cured, but there are methods available to help with the symptoms.
90% of the people dealing with dementia deal with apathy. This makes them lose motivation to do anything at all. This can make their muscles and joint stiffer and even affect their emotional well being by causing low levels of depression.
To help with this Hester Le Riche created the Tovertafel––it means magic table in Dutch. The magic table is a table where the games are projected onto the table. These are simple games people with dementia can play to keep them active. It was invented through the research of Hester Le Riche.
There are a wide variety of games available.
For example, there is a game where they catch fish, another is making a puzzle, and another is trying to keep a ball on the table and or even popping the bubbles. They are simple activities, but very useful.
The games help stimulate physical and cognitive abilities.
It even encourages social interaction as a bunch of people are gathered around the table playing the games. The Tovertafel itself is a box that projects light onto the table and can be used on any kind of table so it doesn't get in the way or take up any extra space.
The best part of this is that patients at homes who are more reserved and normally tend to stay away from activities have also been reported to start interacting in these games.
It even helps with the patients who get angry more easily, which in turn ends up being a huge relief for the nurses working there and helps the patient.
I think this is a very important invention. The main problem is that it's too expensive, but with future research and improvement, I believe it could be made more easily affordable so that more people have access to it. It brings more activities in the life of people who have dementia and a little happiness.
It has also received many good reviews from homes that have purchased it. One of the reviews reads, "I would recommend the Tovertafel to everyone. It keeps our residents alert; they are not just sitting at a table, but are stimulated in a good way." said Jose van Gement of Care Home de Weegbree.
This unique innovation is just the game your loved one may need.
