Two local families’ have raised over £7,000 to install the very latest technology to help patients with dementia in Armagh.
And staff at the Gillis Memory Centre, the dementia inpatient assessment unit for the Southern Trust, based on the St Luke’s Hospital site, are delighted.
The ‘Magic Table’ is an award-winning innovation, aimed at helping people in the later stages of dementia to be more active and responsive.
Through a series of interactive games including gardening, fishing and popping balloons – players are encouraged to reach out and respond to the light which is projected on to a table.
Two local families, the Newports from Dungannon and the Boyds from Portadown, raised over £7,000 for the centre to buy the equipment, through a number of fundraising events including quizzes, raffles, a run and a cycle.
Thanking the Newport and Boyd families, Siobhan Donaghy, Head of the Southern Trust Memory Service said: “On behalf of our whole team I sincerely thank both families and indeed all of those who donated to their fundraising efforts for such generosity in helping us to buy this amazing piece of technology.
“Our patients are getting really good physical and mental stimulation out of the games.
“The table is brilliant for triggering reminiscence, promoting social interaction and an overall sense of enjoyment.”
