Inclusion for all - WiFi SPARK adds Dementia support links to SPARK® Media

SPARK® Media - the most comprehensive and inclusive patient entertainment system on the market, has recently added a new string to it’s bow: Dementia support. This provides an easy to access resource that will support family members and visitors.

WiFi SPARK provides WiFi and entertainment services to over 80 NHS Trusts and Health Boards and around 260 hospitals in the UK. It’s SPARK® Media platform provides patients and visitors access to free TV and radio, free magazines & newspapers, games, meal ordering, video calling and so much more.

As part of the engagement, the platform hosts a number of supportive links, to empower patients to take control of their own healthcare. These include access to healthcare education videos, so patients can learn more about their conditions and understand what aftercare or further care they can receive. In addition, the latest development includes access to Dementia support services, such as the BBC Reminiscence Archive and BBC Music Memories.

To access these support services, patients connect to the hospital WiFi and navigate to wifilounge.co.uk. Here they will see options to all the other services as mentioned above like TV, radio etc and there is also a tab for ‘My Care’. This tab has useful links to support patients on their healthcare journey such as translation services, surveys and the new Reminiscence Archive and Music Memories.

Jake Berger, Executive Product Manager at BBC Archive Editorial said: “We hope that people staying in or visiting hospitals get some value from the BBC Reminiscence Archive, which helps trigger memories and spark conversations; and from BBC Music Memories, which helps people reconnect with the music they love”

The Dementia support services has been added to the SPARK® Media service at ten  hospitals in October, including Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, with more to follow. 

If you have any suggestions of what other links patients would benefit from from this entertainment system, please get in touch and let us know.