Wheelchair-friendly playground
At care facility Ipse de Bruggen in Nieuwveen, a new playground has been opened on the Ursula estate! Ipse de Bruggen helps clients with cognitive and physical disabilities to develop themselves by becoming more independent and learning new things. The playground plays an essential role in this process, stimulating the senses and challenging clients to go the extra mile.
The playground came about because Ipse was missing something for their clients who used wheelchairs. Our design team came up with a solution for this, and the result is impressive. The new playground equipment is specially designed for people with disabilities.
The interactive Sona, the balanced path, and the wheelchair merry-go-round all contribute to the development of clients.
Marije Boone, Supervisor at Ipse de Bruggen:
The Sona is interactive, which appealed to us enormously. Because the clients who use a wheelchair can do it together and the more mobile clients, they can now play or exercise with each other.
Clients naturally train balance, range, coordination, and e.g., rhythmics while playing. Playing is a fun, relaxing way that is good for physical health and contributes to clients’ mental development.
Increasing independence
At Ipse de Bruggen, people work with passion. Excellent and safe care is paramount here, where it is essential that clients feel at home. Clients receive the guidance and tools they need to develop themselves. Playing is a proven effective way to establish yourself in a fun and relaxed way.
The playground contributes a lot to daily life. The clients are involved and motivated in multiple ways to maintain the mobile piece of themselves. We challenge them to reach a little further with the arm or take that extra step. We also use the playground during physical therapy treatments. Then it is just a little more fun to walk in the playground than in a gym or a hallway. Clients who use wheelchairs can also be challenged in this way in a fun way to do just a little bit more. This increases their self-reliance.
Playing at recess
During our visit to Ipse de Bruggen, we were introduced to one of the clients. An energetic man while working in the bakery on the estate. During breaks, he enjoys playing in the playground. He especially loves playing music and moving to it—an excellent way to relax and have fun with friends.
Meeting place for clients and supervisors
The playground is a place where many clients and supervisors come together.
I get really excited about the playground because I see what it means to the clients and how much they get out of it. It’s incredibly fun to see the interaction among themselves and the contact with supervisors. I am super proud of the fact that we have realized this together. We found a very nice platform of play elements through Yalp, which came into its own here.
says Marije.
The clients are involved and motivated in multiple ways to maintain the mobile piece of themselves. We challenge them to reach a little further with the arm or take that extra step.
