Cognitive stimulation in Nursing home is no longer an option. It is a therapeutic necessity, a quality criterion evaluated by the ARS, and a strong expectation from families. However, on the ground, teams face a complex reality: little time, very heterogeneous profiles, and often worn-out and unmotivating animation materials for residents who have seen it a hundred times.

The digital tablet transforms this equation. It offers an almost infinite variety of exercises, automatically adapts to the level of each resident, works without internet, and provides exploitable tracking data for personalized projects and internal evaluations. But one must know how to integrate it into the functioning of the establishment.

This guide supports you in deploying digital cognitive stimulation in your Nursing home, from organizing workshops to training staff.

1. The stakes of cognitive stimulation in Nursing home

In Nursing home, cognitive stimulation addresses several simultaneous stakes. The first is therapeutic: to slow down the cognitive decline of residents affected by neurodegenerative diseases, maintain residual capacities, and prevent the worsening of dependency. Studies show that regular stimulation, even modest, produces measurable effects on the memory, orientation, and executive functions of elderly people with mild to moderate dementia.

The second stake is human. Apathy, withdrawal, and loss of meaning affect a majority of residents in Nursing home. Cognitive stimulation, when experienced as a moment of pleasure rather than a test, contributes to maintaining social ties, self-esteem, and a sense of usefulness. A resident who succeeds in an exercise, who shares a memory, who laughs during a collective workshop regains a moment of life that goes beyond the purely cognitive dimension.

The third stake is regulatory and qualitative. HAS recommendations emphasize the personalization of the care project and the implementation of non-drug therapeutic activities. ARS evaluations scrutinize the diversity and regularity of proposed animations. Having a digital tool with tracking data enhances the credibility of the establishment and facilitates the documentation of actions taken.

Finally, the stake is organizational. Animation teams are often small, staff turnover is high, and the time available per resident is limited. Traditional animation materials (board games, manual workshops, paper quizzes) require significant preparation and professional animation. The tablet simplifies this logistics by offering a turnkey tool usable by all trained staff.

2. The 5 advantages of the tablet compared to traditional materials

1. Automatic adaptation to the resident's level. A resident with mild Alzheimer's and a resident with depression do not require the same level of difficulty. The tablet automatically adjusts the complexity of the exercises according to performance, without the facilitator needing to prepare specific materials. Each resident works at their level, without failure.
2. Functioning without internet. This is a decisive advantage in nursing homes, where the WiFi connection is often unstable or non-existent in the rooms. DYNSEO applications work entirely offline. The facilitator can offer a workshop in the room of a resident with reduced mobility, in the garden, or in the common room, without technical constraints.
3. Nearly infinite diversity of exercises. Paper materials eventually become tiresome. Residents know the games by heart, the answers are memorized, and stimulation decreases. The tablet offers more than 30 different exercises per application, with variations and multiple levels. The novelty effect lasts for months, even years.
4. Tracking data for the personalized project. Each session is recorded: exercises completed, scores, reaction times, progress. This data feeds into the resident's personalized project and documents the non-pharmacological therapeutic action. In the event of an ARS evaluation, the facility has tangible evidence of the stimulation provided.
5. Usable by all trained staff. The facilitator, the nursing assistant, the psychologist, the occupational therapist, or even a volunteer can use the tablet after a short training. This cross-functionality multiplies opportunities for stimulation and reduces dependence on a single animation professional.

3. What activities to propose on the tablet?

Digital activities in nursing homes must respect a fundamental principle: pleasure before performance. The resident should never feel tested. The exercise should be experienced as a game, a pleasant moment, a chosen activity rather than a forced one.

Memory stimulation

Memory games involving images, paired associations, delayed recognition, and sequence recall are the most requested activities. The SCARLETT application offers these exercises with familiar images (everyday objects, food, animals) and systematic positive feedback, without visible scores or stressful timers. The goal is to engage memory in a supportive environment.

Orientation and positioning

Exercises for temporal orientation (date, season, time of day) and spatial positioning (layout in space, reading simple maps) help residents maintain their bearings. These activities are particularly relevant for residents experiencing temporal-spatial disorientation related to Alzheimer's disease.

Language and evocation

Games of naming, semantic categorization, intruder identification, and verbal fluency stimulate access to vocabulary, which is often fragile in dementia. Visual exercises (naming what one sees, finding the intruder in a series of images) bypass the reading difficulties that some residents may encounter.

Executive functions and logic

Games involving sequencing, sorting, simple logic, and problem-solving engage residual executive functions. These exercises are important because executive functions condition autonomy in daily life activities: planning dressing, organizing a meal, following multi-step instructions.

Reminiscence and memories

The E-Memories application is specifically designed for reminiscence therapy. It offers period photos, questions about past experiences, and materials to evoke personal memories. This activity does not aim for cognitive performance but rather the maintenance of personal identity and the pleasure of sharing.

Fine motor skills and coordination

The Rolling Ball on a balancing support allows for working on the bimanual coordination and fine motor skills of residents. For residents with Parkinson's or loss of dexterity, this exercise maintains the motor skills of the hands and wrists in a playful format.

4. Adapting exercises to residents' pathologies

The population of a Nursing home is heterogeneous: autonomous residents coexist with residents in GIR 1 or 2, with very different pathologies. The digital tool must adapt to each profile.

The fundamental principle is no failure. In a Nursing home, an exercise that is too difficult generates frustration, anxiety, and a refusal to participate afterwards. It is better to offer an exercise that is too easy (that the resident succeeds at and that values them) than an exercise that is too difficult (that confronts them with their losses). Difficulty can be gradually increased based on success statistics.

5. How to organize workshops: individual and collective

Cognitive stimulation in a Nursing home can take two complementary forms: the individual workshop and the collective workshop. Both have distinct benefits and should coexist.

The individual workshop: personalization and follow-up

The individual workshop is the most therapeutic format. It allows for targeting the specific functions of the resident based on their assessment and personalized project. It lasts 10 to 15 minutes, can be conducted in the resident's room, and is led by a trained staff member (nursing assistant, activity coordinator, psychologist). The tablet is placed on the adjustable table, the resident manipulates the touchscreen, and the accompanying person encourages and guides if necessary.

The individual workshop is particularly indicated for residents with reduced mobility (who cannot join the activity room), residents with behavioral disorders (who disrupt collective workshops), and residents with advanced dementia (who require individualized support).

The collective workshop: social connection and group dynamics

The collective workshop brings together 4 to 8 residents around the same activity on a tablet, projected if possible on a large screen or a video projector. The facilitator guides the activity, solicits participation, and transforms the digital exercise into a moment of exchange and conviviality. The general knowledge quiz, collective reminiscence exercises, and guessing games work particularly well in a group.

The collective workshop fosters social connections among residents, stimulates verbal interactions, and creates a sense of belonging to the group. It is also a showcase for the establishment: families who attend a dynamic and supportive collective workshop reinforce their trust in the quality of care.

6. The 5 mistakes to avoid in digital stimulation in Nursing homes

7. Case studies: 3 situations, 3 concrete results

8. Focus: E-Souvenirs, digital reminiscence therapy

Reminiscence therapy is one of the most validated non-drug interventions in the management of Alzheimer's disease. It involves evoking old memories using visual, auditory, or tactile stimuli. The goal is not to "test" memory but to mobilize autobiographical memories, which are often better preserved than the memory of recent events in Alzheimer's disease.

The principle of E-Souvenirs

The E-Souvenirs application offers themed period photos (school, old professions, family celebrations, everyday objects from the 50s-70s) accompanied by open-ended questions: "What does this image remind you of?", "Did you have this object at home?". The application can also accommodate personal photos of the resident and their family, transforming the session into an interactive family album.

The observed benefits

Reminiscence produces effects on several dimensions. On the cognitive level, it mobilizes semantic and autobiographical memory, stimulates language (evocation, narration), and activates networks of old memory. On the emotional level, it reinforces the resident's personal identity ("I am someone with a story"), reduces anxiety, and improves mood. On the social level, it creates a moment of sharing between the resident and the caregiver, rich in emotions and words.

How to use it in a Nursing home

Reminiscence can be practiced individually (in the room, with a caregiver or a family member) or in a small group (3-4 residents sharing the same generation). The ideal format is a session of 15 to 20 minutes, conducted gently, without performance pressure. The caregiver asks the questions, listens to the answers, and builds on the memories evoked. The resident is in the role of the one who knows, who tells, who transmits — a powerful reversal compared to the usual position of dependence.

9. Training staff: the key to success

The number one factor for successful digital deployment in Nursing homes is not the quality of the tool. It is the training and involvement of the staff. An excellent tool used poorly produces no results. A decent tool used well by a trained and motivated team transforms the lives of residents.

Who to train?

Train as many staff as possible who are in contact with the residents. The nursing assistants are the primary targets as they spend the most time with the residents and have slots (after bathing, before meals) where 10 minutes of tablet use fits naturally. Also train the activity coordinator (group workshops), the psychologist (assessments and individualized follow-up), the occupational therapist (fine motor skills and Rolling Ball), and the housekeeping staff who wish to participate.

What to train?

The training should cover three dimensions. The technical dimension: turning on the tablet, launching the application, selecting a profile, choosing an exercise, consulting the statistics. The relational dimension: how to support a resident during the exercise, rephrasing instructions, valuing without infantilizing, managing a refusal. The organizational dimension: when to offer the tablet, how long, how to integrate the session into the care schedule.

How long?

An initial training of 2 hours is sufficient for the staff to be operational. It includes a presentation of the tool (30 min), practical hands-on experience with role-playing (1h), and a discussion time for questions and concerns (30 min). A 30-minute refresher after 1 month is recommended to reinforce learning and address questions that arise in practice.

10. How to choose the right tool for your establishment?

The choice of digital tool in a Nursing home must meet specific criteria, different from those of a private practice. The tool must be robust, simple, and suitable for intensive collective use.

A criterion often underestimated is the robustness of the tablet. In a Nursing home, the tablet is handled by dozens of hands each day, falls regularly, and must withstand intensive use. Invest in a sturdy protective case and a screen protector. Plan for 2 to 3 tablets per living unit to avoid usage conflicts and ensure availability.