LIFE-CHANGING technology worth £50,000 has been handed to Acorns Children’s Hospice in the city to offer children the chance to do things they never dreamed of.
Acorns for the Three Counties has been given the brand-new, state-of the-art equipment by children’s technology charity Lifelites. The equipment will enable youngsters to play, be creative and communicate, for as long as is it possible.
A team from Lifelites visited the Bath Road hospice to present the equipment and to offer training and technical support services to Acorns staff and volunteers.
The technology – which Lifelites provides for free – costs around £50,000 over four years. After four years, the children’s technology charity will return to replace the equipment with the latest, up-to-date models.
Susan Hayward, head of care at Acorns, said: “Being able to offer the children we care for access to such pioneering equipment makes a huge difference to the quality of the time they spend with us.”
Among the pieces of equipment donated is an Eyegaze. This technology allows those with limited mobility to control a computer using just their eyes. By using the Eyegaze, children who struggle to communicate with their family and their carers are able to do so – often for the very first time.
The hospice also received a special portable bundle of technology for its outreach team. This special bundle, known as the Tech Trunk, can travel wherever the children are, whether that’s in their own home or in hospital.
Other items donated include iPads and touchscreen computers along with lots of games and other software specially designed to be enjoyed by children with disabilities.
Visit www.acorns.org.uk for more.
