Pedal for Pudsey

Motitech is the Norwegian startup helping older people and people with dementia, become more motivated to engage in physical activity by using a combination of visual technology and specially-adapted exercise bikes. With its product, Motiview, the motivational technology gives older people the opportunity to revisit familiar places from their childhoods and other important points in their lives, through a video projection that plays whilst the person pedals: allowing them to virtually cycle through thousands of destinations. Founded by CEO Jon Ingar Kjenes and developed in 2012 in cooperation with the Agency for Nursing Homes in the City of Bergen (on the western coast of Norway), Motitech is now established in seven countries, in over 350 locations, with its main users being those who reside in public and private healthcare residences in the Nordics, North America, Australia and the United Kingdom (where it currently has more than 500 users across England).

Motiview has been designed for an ageing population, of which there are now over 421,000 people aged 65 and over living in residential or assisted care in Britain (according to Age UK). The technology visually and mentally stimulates older people and those living with dementia, which has proven to play a vital role in preventing injuries, with British care homes reporting similar benefits to those experienced in the Nordics: numerous homes have reported an increase in residents who are now able to walk with assistance, having previously been wheelchair-bound; a Midlands care home has seen the number of falls reduced by 80% within 3 months of the technology’s integration within residents routines. These documented health benefits are in addition to an improved quality of life, increased mobility, fewer falls, improved confidence and social interactions, faster rehabilitation and improved mental wellbeing (as well as care home staff’s time being freed-up).

Road Worlds for Seniors 2019

Founded by Motitech in 2017, The Road Worlds for Seniors is the company’s global championship for cycling within care homes and care centres across the world. Each year, the team that has cycled the furthest in kilometres is awarded a prize, with additional awards going to support teams, including staff and others, who take part in the competition with the cyclists. In 2018, 2,400 cyclists divided into 122 teams took part and cycled over 52,000 km over the four-week period. The ‘Crew of the Year’ winner was Stapely Care Home in Liverpool, and the overall male champion was 83-year-old Norman Côté from Ottawa, Canada who, in one sitting, cycled for over four hours. The oldest resident that took part in the event was a 104-year-old woman from Manchester.

Motitech’s Road Worlds for Seniors 2019 took place in September and ran over a four-week period. Running alongside the UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire, it will set the focus on physical activity for older people in the UK (as well as Norway, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Australia, and the USA), with all care homes with a license to Motiview welcome to take part in the championship for free.

Road Worlds for Seniors 2019 benefits from the support of The Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS), Sport England, British Cycling, Care England and The National Care Forum.

How Motiview works

By using specially-adapted stationary exercise bikes at the same time as Motitech-produced videos (accompanied by ambient sound effects and music), residents in care homes, adult day care centres, senior community centres, home care services and rehabilitation centres, can ‘virtually’ cycle through familiar surroundings and beautiful scenery from a variety of different locations. The bikes are accessible to all, irrespective of physical condition, offering both feet and hand pedalling options.

• The Motiview experience is enabled by a device that shows any chosen cycle route which is displayed via a computer, then paired to a television, monitor, or projection device. The videos are created with the users in mind which encourages those with and without dementia, to recall and revisit favourite locations. Users can download Motiview onto a Windows PC or tablet, once they have obtained a license.
• Motiview is then combined with a specially-adapted exercise bike, allowing the user to pedal, with feet or hands, through destinations such as the Peak District, the South Downs, Niagara Falls, or even through the town in which they were raised while listening to their favourite songs.
• The video library, which is produced in collaboration with the care facilities, currently consists of over 1,700 videos from 36 countries (including almost 200 from the UK). The company is continuously growing the library and adds hundreds of new videos to the catalogue each year. Whenever a Motiview is ordered, Motitech travels to that location and makes a local video of the scenery, in collaboration with the care home.
• As a result of Motitech’s technology, an increasing number of older people in care homes are happier and more motivated to take part in physical exercise. Residents are also encouraged to socialise for longer periods of time and with new people.

Availability

Each Motiview license comes with access to the entire video library, (including new videos when they are added) and authentic sound and music. Motitech will also create a video of the local area that is made in cooperation with each care home. Free support is available throughout the license period where residents can take part in events such as the Road Worlds for Seniors, that takes place in September each year.

The Sport England Active Ageing project

Sport England’s Active Ageing Fund tackles inactivity amongst people who are over the age of 55. By helping them get physically active and creating sustainable behavioural change, Active Ageing can be reinforced and therefore enhance the quality of life of many older people across England.

Motitech’s project is funded by Sport England’s Active Ageing fund, the first and only overseas project to get funding, with the goal to reduce inactivity, improve subjective wellbeing and increase levels of perceived self-efficacy by allowing people to use Motiview and cycle to videos from familiar routes and childhood memories. The project will reach approximately 400 older people from 25 sites, participating in physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes per week. Health-related quality of life will be assessed before and after the test periods, with the results due to be published in the coming months, and are already showing positive effects on both the residents and the staff.