iPAD trial for elderly patients
- Monday, 19 December 2011
Elderly dementia patients have been handed iPADS - as part of a pioneering study into how the devices can help them communicate.
It is thought that the touchscreen hand-held computers can help pensioners who are not able to use a mouse or a keyboard.
Carers have been helping the patients create graphics and pictures, play games and access the internet at Summerdyne Nursing Home in Bewdley, Worcs.
Phil Upton, a carer at the centre, said they had teamed up with the University of Worcester to trial the devices.
He said: "It is amazing how such a device can open up a new means of communication to those who can't express themselves in the way they desire.
"In this sense, it gives them freedom to communicate with me and others around them in a whole new and exciting way."
The study hopes to prove that iPads can improve motor skills, stimulate memory and cognitive function and help dementia patients socialise.
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