Funding to provide assistive technologies for patients who have lost the use of their upper limbs

Aspire, a charity that helps people affected by spinal cord injuries, has provided state-of-the-art assistive technologies for patients at the Royal Sussex County Hospital (RSCH).

The charity, which received a grant of £12,937 from the Morrisons Foundation to fund the equipment, will install innovative technologies for patients who have lost the use of their upper limbs.

Specialist technologies include eye-tracking monitors, which replace the use of a mouse or touch screens where patients use their eye movements to move the cursor and interact with computers.

Alex Rankin, Director of Services at Aspire, told Sussex World: “Using a computer, tablet or smartphone is a part of everyday life for most people. For those who are in hospital, such technology can be a lifeline to the outside world. But higher-level spinal cord injuries, and the resulting paralysis, can mean that access to essential devices is difficult or impossible.

“For such patients at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, this means they are reliant on others for even the sort of simple things we are all used to doing – getting on social media, sending emails, changing the channel on the TV. This clearly impacts on their wellbeing, and pulls staff away from their clinical duties.

“Fortunately, there is a solution. Assistive technology is available which means anyone, regardless of their level of paralysis, can have independent access to their phone or computer.

“Not only will the grant from the Morrisons Foundation provide this amazing technology – including voice recognition software, mice controlled by head movement and even an eye-tracking device – but it will also allow the Aspire experts to train the staff in how to get their patients using it.

“Thanks to the generosity of the Morrisons Foundation, patients will regain the ability to use their technology, giving them back the independence that most of us just take for granted and making a significant difference to their mental health as they start to adjust to their life-changing injury.”

According to the National Library of Medicine, technical innovations have the potential to compensate for the loss of upper-limb motor functions.

David Scott, Morrisons Foundation Trustee said: “The innovative technologies provided by Aspire will make a huge difference to the lives of people affected by spinal injuries from across the region. I’m delighted that we’ve been able to provide this support to improve the wellbeing of so many people for many years to come.”

The Morrisons Foundation was set up by Morrisons supermarket in 2015 and awards grants for charity projects which help improve people’s lives. Since launching, over £38 million has been donated to hundreds of charities across England, Scotland and Wales.

An open competition invited companies with innovative products that improve the health and wellbeing of older people to apply for funding.