Going digital to help care home residents
When I think of technological advances, I think of Japan so it was no surprise to read the recent headline, ‘Japan uses robots to care for it’s elderly. Could it work for the UK?’ The Times article takes you to a care home in Tokyo with a robot, described as ‘an integral member of staff’ singing, dancing and leading the group of residents in a movement session.
The robots, include a dog that can use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to analyse the environment and interact with humans. They can also convey and understand moods. There has also been development in rehabilitation technology with a 92-year-old resident who had been in a wheelchair for years who can now walk again thanks to robotics (and a whole lot of determination).
Although this doesn’t feel like a too-distant development to happen in the UK, it feels like we’re a little behind as a nation.
At MHA we are always looking to innovate wherever we can to make continuous improvements to the care and support we provide for older people.
We have teamed up with digital support plan provider Nourish to introduce digital care plans into our care homes. It started as a pilot in 3 care homes, taking onboard their feedback and now we’re in the process of rolling out digital support plans to the rest of our homes.
We’ve seen significant improvements compared to a paper-based system. Care teams are able to have care plans at their fingertips meaning they can instantly share information with other care professionals in surgeries and hospitals, and also with family members who have Power of Attorney for wellbeing.
Nourish is helping transform care here at MHA. But it’s not our first digital adoption within our care homes. Thank you to generous donations and fundraising, we were able to purchase robotic cats and dogs for residents living with dementia. The cats or dogs bring moments of calm and companionship.
We’ve read stories and seen pictures and videos of residents creating a strong bond with the pets, bringing back memories of former pets. People love to sit with them on their lap, stroking them as it responds back just as a real pet would. You can read more about the importance of pets for people living with dementia over on David’s blog.
We've also invested in interactive, sensory projection systems which support residents living with dementia – the effect on residents, their families, and colleagues has been great to see.
With the goal of engaging and relaxing the mind, the projection technology (nicknamed a ‘magic table’), uses therapeutic scenes and sounds. Residents engage with the technology to instantly promote feelings of calm. I had the pleasure of seeing one of these in action at MHA The Meadow care home. We played a game brushing paint and leaves, I was really impressed by the visuals and sounds and could see how calming focusing on something like that can be.
There’s also Tiny Tablets – which aren’t tiny, quite the opposite! Simply put, they’re a big, interactive screen. It’s frame is on wheels and height-adjustable which means they can be made accessible for everyone. It comes equipped with apps of quizzes, music, and games. We’ve had residents learn how to play the piano and go on virtual tours of places they’d love to visit or go to their former street and village, virtually.
Some of our care homes also have a VR headset, bringing residents into the ‘real world’ from the comfort of their armchair. Care home colleagues became increasingly inventive using the technology to take residents on holiday, tour galleries and museums and even test their aeroplane driving skills!
The VR headsets enable residents to feel part of something bigger, and something that they wouldn’t usually get the chance to experience, helping them to feel fulfilled.
Although we’re behind somewhere like Japan, we’re investing in technology that can help our care home residents.
