‘A real gift’: How These Interactive Games Help Dementia Residents Connect
At Holland Home, a senior living community in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the Tovertafel has become part of daily life for residents living with dementia.
The Tovertafel projects interactive light games designed to respond to touch and movement. Curt Gritters, director of the Dementia Institute in Grand Rapids, says that this responsiveness is what makes it work: it gives seniors with dementia a way to interact with each other, not just with a screen.
Holland Home has had three Tovertafels running for about a year. Marenta Klinger, the community’s Director of Resident Life, says the impact goes far beyond entertainment.
“It’s incorporating so many components of wellness, which is what we really strive to do for all of our programming. So this tool might reach somebody who doesn’t actively engage with other programming. This might meet them where they’re at,” she says.
The Tovertafels are part of the facility’s calendar and are used often, a level of routine engagement Klinger and Gritters point to as a sign that it’s working. Gritters also notes its potential for family visits as a shared activity that gives visitors a way to connect with a loved one who has dementia.
“It’s just a real gift to have this on the units,” Klinger said.