After listening to feedback from families and children’s hospice staff, we’ve seen first-hand how important gaming is to life-limited and disabled children.
It is a vital lifeline for children in hospices. It’s a chance to play, to have fun and to be in control, regardless of the confines of their condition. It can level the playing field and give them access to a world where their disability is irrelevant.
However, too often we’ve seen children who are unable to play because the equipment isn’t suitable for them. So, we developed a solution to ensure that disability doesn’t rule kids out of gaming – the Lifelites Interactive Entertainment Hub.
This is a portable unit packed full of accessible gaming equipment, which children in hospices can use to game, giving them back the control they so desperately want.
Included in the Interactive Entertainment Hub are the following items:
We’ve received some amazing feedback from families and hospice staff who have already seen the impact of this equipment.
One hospice nurse told us:
“A child I care for can’t game because of his condition, so he watches his Dad play instead. This is so upsetting for him and its heart breaking to see. The Lifelites technology has been completely life-changing for them, giving a father and son the opportunity to share a hobby that they love. We don’t how much longer they have to make memories like this.”
A father of a teenager receiving hospice care told us:
“My son used to love playing video games with his brothers and cousins. We have a big active family and even though he’s in a wheelchair it’s something they could do together. However, the recent deterioration of his condition has meant that he can no longer use the controller, so we got rid of the PlayStation. Seeing him game again with the Lifelites Mobile Gaming Hub is incredible, it brings him so much joy. I just hope more kids like him get this opportunity.”
We are excited to start donating the sensory tent to children's hospices in 2020/21! It's portable, light, and fun. The POD, an instantly inflatable Sensory Tent that comes in a rucksack, offers a safe space for children with all types of special needs. It allows life-limited and disabled children to dive into their own world, be surrounded by seascapes, and listening to stories or music.
One of the technologies we hope to deliver for children using hospice services in 2020/21 is the Tilt and Touch Table. This magical technology enables life-limited and disabled children to take part in games, learn, and create something themselves from any angle as it adapts to the children's abilities.
The 10,000 children who currently use hospice services represent only one fifth of the children who require palliative care in the British Isles. These children need our help, so we put our heads together to think of a way to take our magical technology to these children.
For children whose lives are limited by their conditions, the Mobile Magic Carpet brings the outside world in, transporting them into a world of make believe.
Even for children with the most profound disabilities, the Lifelites Eyegaze gives them the chance to communicate and play – just like other children.
We pack our special iPads with a whole host of apps to enable children with disabilities to communicate, play, be creative and have fun.
Music is such an important form of expression and it is particularly important for children in children’s hospices who may not be able to speak or move or tell people how they feel.
Our special mice make it possible for children with disabilities to have the rare opportunity to control something for themselves.
Using a Makey Makey to turn anything that conducts electricity into a mouse helps children of all abilities to join in the fun.
John Donoghue is a dedicated Lifelites Benefactor. He shared with us his very moving personal story about his daughter's health and the reason he decided to become a benefactor, and make a regular monthly gift to Lifelites.
Our Patrons support our vision, mission and values and give all of their time for free. Their contribution and support is highly valued.
Lifelites aims to harness the power of technology by donating a wide variety of assistive and inclusive equipment to enhance the lives of life-limited and disabled children using hospice services.
For these children with complex cognitive and physical impairments, this technology is quite simply magical. It gives them opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have to join in with the world around them, irrespective of their disabilities.
Providing these opportunities is only possible because of the donations that Lifelites receives.
We have two new additions to our magical technology package! Click below to learn more about the Tilt Table and the PODs Sensory Tent!
