As a volunteer on a locked ward of Altzheimer sufferers, and those with dementia, mental stimulation and gentle physical exercise getting patients out of bed is so vital. The Tovertafel is a new concept from Denmark where it has been used with great success their and is now being installed in hospitals, care homes etc in the UK.

A simplistic description is that light “games“ are projected from a specialised overhead projector. The images which the appear on the table below can be interplayed by interactive hand movements with the patients. For example, if bubbles are projected, the float over the table and can be caught, popped or moved between players. Autumn leaves can be swept over the table, or “collected” and taken off the tabke, goldfish swimming over the table can be stroked and you can try catch one in you can! Flowers will grow in size if you spin them round and reduce to nothing if you reverse the action.

This is not a solitary experience and is limited merely by the number of people who can sit around the table.