Keeping minds active at Wesley Mission Queensland aged care communities

February 7, 2017

With dementia being the single greatest cause of disability in older Australians (aged 65 years or older) aged care provider Wesley Mission Queensland is dedicated to finding innovative ways to keep residents’ minds active.
Thanks to a Gambling Community Benefit Fund grant of $8,000, Wesley Mission Queensland will this week welcome its 12th BrainTrainerPlus™, a stand-alone 20 inch touch-screen PC with sophisticated memory games designed especially for older people.

Wesley Mission Queensland’s Director of Residential Aged Care, Annie Gibney said the use of the BrainTrainerPlus is an important diversional therapy activity for all residents, particularly those living with dementia.

“We know from research the importance of keeping our minds active and engaged as we age, and these short-term memory games offer stimulating and easy games for our residents to play,” she said.

“The BrainTrainerPlus aligns with the Eden Alternative™ Philosophy of care that we embrace across all our aged care services. The philosophy is a holistic approach to maintaining the wellbeing of older people in a healthy and spontaneous environment that celebrates and acknowledges the uniqueness of each individual resident in our care.

“Using tools such as the BrainTrainerPlus allows staff to find innovative and unique ways to engage each resident and cater to their interests and find out how we can support them on their journey.”

Director of BrainTrainerPlus (Australia), Simone Ell, said the software is easy to use for all age groups.

“The BrainTrainerPlus has a strong appeal for people living with dementia, regardless of their experience with computers. Residents can enjoy games and puzzles engaging both the long and short-term memory in the visuospatial and auditory domain,” she said.

“Experiences from users show that the BrainTrainerPlus has an enormous improvement in quality of life for aged care residents and contributes to a fun and playful atmosphere in communities where residents can engage and play the games together or with family and friends.”

WESLEY MISSION QUEENSLAND

Wesley Mission Queensland is a not for profit organisation that has been providing support to the Queensland community for more than 100 years. Offering community services, aged care, child care and retirement living, the work of Wesley Mission Queensland touches the lives of more than 100,000 people every year.

Wesley Mission Queensland is also the operational partner for Queensland’s only children’s hospice, Hummingbird House and the Youngcare Apartments at Sinnamon Village, Coomera and Wooloowin.

Visit www.wmq.org.au or call 1800 448 448.