ABLE Family: Remote, Intergenerational Play in the Age of COVID-19

Gardner, P.; Surlin, S.; McArthur, C.; Akinyema, A.; Rauchberg, J.; Zheng, R.; Hao, J.; Papaioannou, A.

ABLE Family is a co-located play platform that engages older adults and their family members in intergenerational play and creation, meeting needs during the COVID-19 crisis. Physical distancing is required to ensure the safety of older adults, though, isolation and loneliness contributes to worsening mood, physical and cognitive health. The platform is designed to provide these benefits, by attending to the distinct needs of older adults who are frail and live with dementia. It allows for easy gesture-based engagement for older adults and more sophisticated play for children who, together, draw or paint a picture. The platform encourages low intensity, short duration activity proven to enhance cognitive health in older adults with cognitive impairment and to enhance well-being and mood. ABLE Family also aims to relieve the proven strain experienced by caregivers caring for older adults across private homes, adult residences and care facilities. The platform will operate as an elevated zoom-type platform, allowing multiple players to talk and see each other in real time as they paint and draw together. The final artistic creations can be saved, downloaded and used as screensavers, digital photos or printed. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.