Fidgeting is common in people living in the mid to late stages of dementia. They may feel agitated, anxious, and involuntarily perform repetitive movements, constantly walking up and down or fixating on specific tasks. These are all behaviours of restlessness and can impact a person's life tremendously.
We wanted to produce a comforting fidget toy that people living with dementia would love and benefit from - so we created the Tactile Turn!
The Journey to the Tactile Turn
Here at Relish, we are committed to supporting wellbeing at every stage of dementia. We reviewed our existing dementia products and noticed we could provide more for people in the later stages. We saw how few products were in the market for this stage, and what was available was not original - many products were not age-appropriate or desirable.
Creating a product during the pandemic was challenging, but we distributed our ideas to our network of carers, care homes and people with dementia. Their thoughts and ideas led to the creation of the Tactile Turn. So, we would like to say a big thank you to all who contributed!
About Fidget Toys & Their Benefits
Fidget toys have many benefits for people living with dementia. An individual can remain engaged with their environment through stimulating sensory perception which means Objects can stimulate the five senses and bring back memories and emotions, leading to positive effects such as improved mood, higher self-esteem and wellbeing.
Other benefits of fidget toys include:
- Keeping the hands busy and alleviating stress.
- Offering a safe way to have fun and aiding calmness and relaxation.
- Helping with boredom and loneliness.
- Tapping into the psychological needs.
- Individuals expressing themselves when they are unable to communicate using words.
- Stimulating brain paths as thousands of nerve receptors in the fingers are stimulated.
- Focusing on doing rather than achieving.
How does the Tactile Turn work?
The Tactile Turn is relatively straightforward to use. It is a never-ending repetitive motion of turning folds round and round. There are two sides in three colours - blue, navy and yellow - to stimulate the visual and touch senses, and it is suitable for the mid-late and late stages of dementia.
Features and Benefits of the Tactile Turn
We have carefully crafted the perfect fidget toy for people with dementia to use and feel a greater sense of joy. It has many benefits, including:
- There is no right or wrong way of using it, leaving the individual to play with it how they wish.
- It taps into 2 of the Relish Wellbeing Wheel levers - ‘Find Calm’ and ‘Stay Active’, meaning it does more for less.
- The weighty pillow provides comfort and reassurance with two distinct textures.
- It has contrasting colours with a blue, navy, and yellow side for greater variety.
- It provides cognitive stimulation.
- It is lightweight and a good size - not too big or too small as it comfortably fits in your hands.
- Unlike other fidget toys, Tactile Turn is mature in appearance, making it more appealing and appropriate for the elderly.
Invite someone living with dementia to delight in the pleasures of endless motion with the Tactile Turn. Available to purchase on site now.
