Interactive Games Bring Joy to Seniors with Obie Projection
Residents in Senior Living, Active Living Communities, Assisted Living, Nursing Homes, improve emotional health while playing technology fitness games.
Caregivers in Senior Living facilities are on the front lines when it comes to combatting senior residents' loneliness, depression, and cognitive decline.
They have a complex job supporting residents' diverse needs, both physically and emotionally. The pandemic has added many new challenges to this role, with an emphasis on keeping the people they care for healthy, and the resources COVID-free, but still filling the days and months with meaning. These workers saw a significant decline in residents' quality of life and emotional wellbeing, despite the option of online calls, and communication and relationships were hindered by quarantine and isolation.
“Obie has helped increase resident's participation. I've seen a resident go from not wanting to do much throughout the day to love playing with Obie and never want to stop engaging with the device.”
Obie for Seniors, a smart projector gaming technology, represents an important case study vis-a-vis the impact of promising new solutions specifically designed for seniors and tailored to have an impact against some of the difficulties that COVID-19 presented.
After deploying Obie for Seniors across nearly two dozen Complete Care Management facilities in the Northeast United States, we gathered data from those dealing directly with both the issues at hand and the technology on their observations of any impact that the tech has for seniors, along with their opinions regarding the future of such technologies.
The Impact of Technology
In the survey, A solid majority of respondents (57%) reported that residents' wellbeing declined with the start of COVID-19. This is especially alarming as many residents faced significant challenges to begin with even without the virus' threat.
The technology made a difference: 94% of respondents saw general improvements in residents of at least 4 on a 5-point scale when they began using Obie. A full 57% observed a 5/5 improvement.
Residents are more social. 85% of respondents observed a 4-point + improvement in residents' social behavior on a five-point scale. With loneliness as one of the primary afflictions of the pandemic, this type of change holds much promise.
Residents' cognitive improvements were rated a 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale by 88% of respondents.
Residents' movement was significantly improved according to 97% of respondents, only one reported that the level of physical activity remained the same.
The same percentage reported that Obie is easy to use, highlighting the importance of designing products for seniors instead of attempting to have them learn complex interfaces.
94% of respondents said the residents in their facilities use Obie at least 3-4 times per week. Over half (57%) of interviewed helpers say residents used the platform every single day.
97% of respondents believe there is a role for senior tech after the pandemic and plan to continue utilizing Obie after COVID-19.
Testimonials:
“Obie has really increased the amount of socializing between residents. As a result of Obie, they are talking to each other more about their time spent playing with Obie.”
“As a result of Obie, our residents are visibly happier and we've also observed an increase in alertness.”
“Residents are sociable and excited about using the Obie. More positive attitude and increase in socialization noted.”
The Opportunity:
Examining the data, it can be concluded that Obie for Seniors is an upstanding tool for use in homes where senior citizens have been struggling with the effects of this pandemic.
The loneliness, isolation, and depression that has been affecting the world over during quarantines and lockdowns are no different in nursing homes, where there are already many health issues for caregivers to deal with over and above the threat of COVID-19 and its ripple effects.
With information gathered from surveying approximately 24 homes, the gaming projector is shown to have had positive effects on communication, social skills, mental dexterity, and overall mental health in the vast majority of senior residents, with caregivers saying the technology made a difference with 94% of respondents seeing improvements in their residents of at least 4 on a 5-point scale when they began using Obie.
The recommendation is thus to identify the specific problems within the facility, cater the technology toward older adults, and to invest in solutions that have a lasting impact instead of an overnight solution that won't stick.
Contact Us For Custom Price Quote
- Edwin Kasanders