William Young-Dagg is five years old and visits Butterwick Children’s Hospice in Durham. He’s a very bright little boy with a happy nature. He is one of five children and loves to spend his time at the hospice interacting with his favourite programmes and games on the large touch screen monitor and the iPad that is loaded with colourful interactive programmes.

William is unable to speak but his fingers move like lightening as he gives instructions on the screen. He copies some of the movements of the games characters and clearly loves being in control of the characters on the screen. All of these special assisted technologies at the hospice were provided by the charity Lifelites.

William loves the interaction between him and the staff as they work through special programmes together. They enjoy the stories the interactive programmes offer and often dance to the music. As the care team member opens each programme William’s task is to make the characters interact and carry out the actions he wants them to do just at the right moment.

The fun that William has interacting with the care team and the computer helps to build good therapeutic relationships. Although William is unable to speak he is able to let the care team members know what he wants to play with whenever he visits and it is always the computer or iPad that he loves most.

Helen McIntyre is a nurse at Butterwick who regularly helps William to enjoy playing with the computer. She told us: “William enjoys lots of programmes and interactive games such as Chalkboard, Painting programmes, Pokemon and Bob the Builder. It makes such a difference to the time he spends at the hospice.”

A brain tumour at the age of six left Heavenly with a number of disabilities, but the equipment provided by Lifelites has opened up a whole new world to her.

Seven year old Samuel has cerebral palsy and is a regular visitor to Acorns for the Three Counties in Worcester.

Brothers Thomas and Connor, aged 9 and 6, were born with life limiting complex congenital heart disease. Each has only half a heart.

Six year old Lois Russell who suffers from severe spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and epilepsy was one of the first to try out the technology when Lifelites visited Keech Hospice Care in Luton.

Our technology enhances the lives of thousands of terminally ill and disabled children and young people across the British Isles every day. One of those very special people is Craig.

Nine year old Megan Farrell from Middlesbrough has been attending Butterwick House for three years for short breaks so that her mum, dad and sister can take a little time off from their caring responsibilities. 

Josh is a frequent visitor to Each Anglia Children’s Hospice in Cambridge and a very enthusiastic gamer.