New initiative uses interactive technology to develop activities for people with dementia

The Alzheimer’s Society and Sport England are partnering with Social-Ability to roll out the Happiness Programme and “revolutionise” care for people with dementia.

The Happiness Programme is a first-of-its-kind initiative that uses interactive technology to develop activities and games for care home residents.

Initially, the partnership will begin in 10 care homes nationwide. Participants will be invited to test out new activities, co-designed with the Alzheimer’s Society and funded by Sport England.

The new project comes as part of the Happiness Programme, developed by Social-Ability, which has already enhanced dementia care across its existing 1250+ partners in the UK, Ireland, and Canada.

The Alzheimer’s Society says a survey of Happiness Programme users showed that 98 percent of care services experienced improvements in social and physical well being, and 89 percent in cognitive wellbeing. Additionally, one in six care services observed fewer falls, and one in five saw improvements in nutrition and hydration for the people they support, as a result of increased activity levels.

Taking place in care homes across London, Sheffield, Derby, Manchester, Newcastle, and other locations, the project has newly available activities. It will start with a three-month phase focusing on current Happiness Programme games.

The activities utilise interactive light technology, enabling users to engage in physically and mentally engaging games like popping bubbles, playing the piano, colouring pictures, and sweeping leaves as well as other activities like karaoke, bingo, and quizzes. This will be followed by another three-month phase testing newly developed activities with a focus on trialling how games can encourage movement and physical activity.

The Happiness Programme offers the flexibility to be enjoyed either independently or as a group activity and can feature props to elevate experiences and further increase range of motion with games like balloon popping or beach ball.

A portable projector can be utilised wherever feels most comfortable, whether on the floor, ceiling, walls, whiteboard, or the bed. This is particularly important as research from Sport England reveals that individuals with long-term health conditions like dementia are twice as likely to be inactive.

Simon Lord, Head of Innovation at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “As we announce our partnership with Social-Ability, we’re excited to combine our trusted expertise in dementia and physical activity with the proven efficacy of the Happiness Programme, supported by funding from Sport England. Keeping active is hugely important for people with dementia and has a range of benefits such as improved quality of life.

“This partnership underscores our commitment to evidence-based practices, and we look forward to seeing the results of the new meaningful activities and the potential improved outcomes for people living with dementia.”

Alzheimer’s Society research also emphasises the urgent need to provide activities for individuals with dementia. Currently, approximately 900,000 people in the UK are affected by dementia, with projections indicating a rise to 1.6 million by 2040.

John Ramsay, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Social-Ability, added: “We’re thrilled to partner with Alzheimer’s Society and Sport England to expand the Happiness Programme’s reach to those who truly need it.

“I founded Social-Ability to bring laughter and happiness to everyone facing dementia as well as for palliative care, rehabilitation, and those with learning disabilities. Working collaboratively is extremely important to us to grow the impact of Social-Ability, and we are honoured to be working alongside such a creative and experienced innovation team.

“We’re so excited to see the results of the project – in 2024, nobody living with dementia should be without laughter or activity.”

After an 84 percent reduction in falls at the Hartland House due to the installation of AI-powered Nobi Smart Lamps, the NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board is now rolling out the lamps across an additional 500 care home living units.