Brain bus offers help to dementia sufferers

With its distinctive pink and purple exterior, the Fold Housing Association 'Brain Bus' is unlikely to be missed on the roads and has been designed to help raise awareness of dementia and dementia-related issues.

The unit, which takes mobile therapy to nursing homes and private housing, is believed to be the first of its kind in Europe and contains leading-edge technology that enables people with dementia to engage in cognitive and physical activities. These are designed to help reduce depression, agitation and stress levels.

Project Co-ordinator Leslie Kelling says the bus is an innovative tool that can be adapted to the user's specific interests and memories and can also be used by families and carers as a basis for improving social interaction.

She said: "The adaptive interface enables people with dementia to engage in activities specific to their interests and their memories.

"It's great to be in Lisburn to let people see what we are about."

The Mayor, Alderman Paul Porter said: "Dementia puts a significant amount of stress on both the individuals and their carers. It is a disease which as it progresses requires around the clock care; and is life changing, not only for the patients but for their families and friends."

Fold Housing Association is an organisation that has long been proactive in seeking innovative ways to improve the quality of life for people with dementia. It is based on It's Never 2 Late (IN2L) adaptive technology developed in the United States and has been funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies.

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