For many months, staff at Castleford House have been busy organising events, including their renowned annual fête, with the objective of raising money to purchase a brand new, state of the art device for their home – a Tovertafel. 

‘Tovertafel” is Dutch for “magic table” and it is a light projector that produces a series of interactive games, specifically developed for individuals with mid-to-late stage dementia. The games create enjoyment and wonder and participants enjoy increased physical, cognitive and social stimulation, whilst experiencing reduced agitation and passivity, rarely seen in people living with dementia at that stage of their journey. In August, the home arranged for a demonstration to take place so that everyone had the opportunity to witness first hand how beneficial this activity resource will be for those who live at the home. As well as having a practice run using a Tovertafel, the Castleford team made a day of it, and not to miss an opportunity to raise funds, they set up a cake stall and a nearly-new clothes stall, both run by Tricia Nash to whom they were very grateful. 

Residents and staff really enjoyed using the Tovertafel and gave overwhelmingly positive feedback. The brilliant news is, thanks to extra funds raised in the home’s recent Three Peaks Walk charity event, the home has now been able to purchase their Tovertafel.  Manager, Ben Miller, says he hopes that the device will be installed before Christmas, which is, owing to their successful fundraising, five months ahead of its original predicted arrival date, and Ben thinks the Tovertafel is set to revolutionise the lives of dementia residents living at Castleford.