Sparking laughter and happiness! Durham County Council is working with Social Ability to use interactive light technology to support people with physical and cognitive challenges in day care and specialist residential settings .
The Happiness Programme is a first-of-its-kind initiative providing social and sensory activities, such as the ‘magic table 360’, to boost social and mental wellbeing,
It’s one of the many innovative ways the council’s Supporting the Provider Market Team is helping care organisations in County Durham to improve the happiness and wellbeing of the people they care for.
Social-Ability’s Happiness Programme is a holistic therapy for people living with cognitive challenges such as dementia, aiming to support positive care outcomes and individuals’ wellbeing and reduce the need for medication which can often have debilitating side-effects. The magic table 360 uses interactive light technology to project images onto a surface, such as a table, a wall, or a person’s bed, allowing individuals to play games, listen to music, and interact with pictures.
This technology facilitates social, sensory, and cognitive activity, encouraging individuals to play games with each other, with the aim of improving their wellbeing through keeping them active and social. Each activity on the magic table 360 has a different purpose, with some, such as the Happy Memories feature, allowing family members to share pictures with their loved ones in care homes or day care, stimulating reminiscence that is particularly beneficial for individuals living with dementia.
Durham County Council’s roll-out of the Happiness Programme is part of a continued effort to improve the lives of people with cognitive challenges across the county,