The project of the month is about the well-being and aging of people residing in “La Providence”.

Since its foundation by the Charity girls, the Providence welcomes elderly people who lost their independence physically and/or intellectually.

Situated in Le Coteau, in the Roanne region, the Providence adapts to answer as best as possible to the needs of its residents. The retirement home gather a group of people assisting in health and social needs.

185 persons whose 35 charity girls, live in this house, dedicated to life care. As long as their health permits it, the sisters keep praying, participating to liturgical life, and all in being also presents for, the residents, their families and the health professionals.

Azheilmer's disease affects 900 000 persons in France and we can count 22 000 new cases each year. The Providence is also concerned by the increasing of these neurodegenerative troubles.

Indeed, the majority of the residents suffer of the decreasing of their intellectual and cognitive capacities. Daily’s activities as eating or communicating become difficult to do, causing anxiety, tensions, insomnias, and isolations.

In “la Providence” the health care personnel, constantly try to meet the need of their patients, offering therapies to maintain and stimulate their capacities.

Because they endeavor to look after and accompany their reliant residents with dignity, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologist and health personnel of the retired home, identify this project named the “magic tables” or toverfafel as a supplement way to relieve and bring them the comfort they need.

The project "The Magic Table": A breath of fresh air to push the limit

The toverfafel is a non medicinal therapeutic tool conceived for people touching by Alzheimer’s diseases or other dementias. This tool is composed of a little box that can be mounted on the ceiling above a table. Inside the box is a high-quality projector, infrared sensors, speaker, and processor that work together to project the games onto the table. Because the colourful objects respond to hand and arm movements, residents get to play with the light itself.

This new technology emerged, in the Netherlands, from the PhD research of Hester Le Riche.

Dr Hester explains “Elderly people touched by cognitive troubles are often inactive which has a negative effect on their well-being and their capacities. The tovertafel breaks through the passivity in playing, which stimulate them and consequently they become more active.”

Since the use of this tool, we can noticed important progess in

-        Maintaining intellectual and cognitive capacities

-        Creating a nice atmosphere of well-being and interactions

-        decreasing isolations, anxiety, apathy

-        Senses and memory stimulations

Watch the video !

Each game session are planned for one hour, and gathers 4 to 5 residents with a trained health professional. This is not about rehabilitating but bringing wellness and comfort depending on the condition of the patient.

Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries of this project are the residents whose have cognitive troubles so about 60% of them.

Everyone one of them would beneficiate of this program whatever their situations are (dependence level, disability, cognitive troubles etc..) even though, the tovertafel will be suggest, in a first time, to the residents of the Sainte Catherine’s service.

Besides the awakening of their capacities, the Tovertafel get them together or with their families for a relaxing and enjoyable time.

The family and the personnel would be delighted, to establish a nice or better relationship with their patients, and feel honored to improve their life. The health teams will be very motivated and encouraged by this common project.

The cost of this device is not included in the social budget. However, the non medical therapies, is part of the plan of neuro-degeneratives diseases. Thus, the management of the Providence will take in charge part of the project in addition to the fund-raising of the “Rosalie Projects”.

- Furnitures of the room (tables and chairs)

- Installation of the tovertafel and its spotlight, 2 years guarantee, updated of the softwares (Quote of 1300€ and a VAT of 20%)

- Salaries of the staff

- Purchasing of new games (in option if necessary)

With your donation you will gain the resident’s smiles.

Thank you to support them…in the meanwhile for science to keep evolving.