ConnectAbility projects uses smart devices to help brain injury patients

A project has been launched to introduce smart assistant devices into residential facilities for brain injury patients to enhance their wellbeing and increase their communication with the outside world both during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

The Disabilities Trust is pioneering the ConnectAbility project, which makes use of technologies and digital means to help increase independence and widen opportunities for social interaction among patients.

Through raising money to buy smart assistant devices, such as the Amazon Alexa, the Trust believes this could help people to live independently and bridge the ‘digital literacy’ gap which have previously prevented many people, particularly those with cognitive impairments, from benefitting from technology.

The ConnectAbility project will be introduced to six residential facilities operated by The Disabilities Trust nationally, and is already delivering significant benefits to residents in its Thomas Edward Mitton House (TEM House) facility in Milton Keynes, where technology has played a key role during the pandemic and its ongoing restrictions.Residents at the 16-bed neurorehabilitation unit, which supports people who are recovering from a traumatic brain injury or stroke, has been enabled to be more connected to loved ones and support circles remotely during the past few months, as well as benefiting from symptom management and use of compensatory strategies to enable people following their discharge from the unit.

“Throughout the pandemic we’ve been busy introducing new devices and activities to keep our residents connected and offer access to brand new experiences, all within the four walls of TEM House,” explains Narinder Kapur, Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist at TEM House.

“We have seen enhanced psychological wellbeing in residents, and we were able to provide a greater social connectivity.

“We aim to continue to use assistive technology moving forward to life after the pandemic, and we anticipate that it will have an increasing role in residential brain injury rehab.”

Research from the World Health Organisation has predicted that more than two billion people will need assistive technologies by 2030, although still technology designed for the elderly and/or those with disabilities was costly and designed for a single purpose.

Through the adoption of more mainstream assistive technology, new possibilities are being opened up for patients with complex needs, which, says The Disabilities Trust, is delivering tangible benefits in terms of confidence, independence and reduced isolation within its centres.

The Trust adds that there are challenges to overcome in terms of the need for training for users, staff, family and friends to ensure devices are functioning correctly, and that studies have also shown staff are needed to support, show and encourage individuals to use the devices to ensure they are used effectively.

It is not enough to simply provide the devices to service users, it says; appropriate training and support is critical to minimise the risk of abandonment.

“We are really excited by the opportunity to work with the people living in our services and our colleagues to understand the benefits of mainstream devices on an individual’s wellbeing,” says Jocelyn Gaynor, Head of Foundation for The Disabilities Trust.

“Coronavirus has made us all acutely aware of the importance of connection and interaction with the world outside our windows. We hope that by piloting these devices we are able to further the understanding of whether access to the digital world through an Alexa can improve wellbeing and reduce isolation. This is increasingly relevant for those living in care homes right now.”