Scioto Community’s 20-bed Alzheimer’s unit will include the use of a new treatment for patients, called Cricket tables.

Crickets consist of elaborately decorated objects placed on a tray with long legs that resemble those of the insect of the same name.

Roy MacDonald, inventor of the Cricket, said the treatment is designed to stimulate the mind and reflexes of patients who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and other neurological disorders.

“They have an immediate, strong, almost hypnotic attractiveness when you come up next to them,” he said.

Since he came up with the idea for the Cricket three years ago, MacDonald said he has made a total of 225 that are used in New Mexico, Minnesota, New York, Georgia and other states. He also has worked with the Illinois Department of Aging and exhibited Crickets at the agency’s recent Alzheimer’s intervention workshops.

“After visiting numerous nursing homes populated with residents with cognitive disabilities, drifting in and out of reality, I became overwhelmed with a desire to help,” MacDonald said. “As I watched their loss of ability to engage, I was filled with sadness and frustration, I decided to bring new worlds for them to engage with –not in a childish way, but in a childlike way-reawakening their curiosity, cuing them to joyful memories.”

MacDonald, who is based in Chicago, recently traveled to Columbus and met with corporate officials and key staff at Scioto community. He demonstrated the use of the Cricket tables and outlined numerous benefits that the treatment can bring to the everyday routines of Alzheimer’s patients.

To initiate the use of the Cricket, the caregiver sits next to the patient and begins by touching a few things and encouraging the patient to proceed.

“We want to get them excited about life and talking again,” MacDonald said.

Each Cricket is hand-made and specifically designed for male and female patients, MacDonald said. The two Crickets MacDonald designed for Scioto Community include colorful objects such as old-fashioned phone dial, “koosh” balls and miniature replica of one of the gazebos on the center’s grounds.

“What you have is about 60 cues-active and passive cues-to stimulate the senses and promote verbal responses,” MacDonald said.

The cricket also includes pop-culture symbols from the 1930s and ‘40s, such as photos from “The Wizard of Oz” and “Gone with the Wind.” The idea is to engage patients with a familiar concept that focuses on their personal memories, MacDonald said.

“I have determined a way to get people into nostalgia. I start with one picture and move forward,” he said.

MacDonald said his research has found that the average age of an Alzheimer’s patient is 80. The male Cricket MacDonald designed for Scioto Community includes trinkets for a man who would have been a teenager from 1938 to 1942.

“Imagine a man going up to his attic and finding all his treasures from the ages of 14 to 18.”

MacDonald said Crickets are a good activity for staff members and community volunteers of all ages to do with Alzheimer’s patients.

“You can promote intergenerational work with this,” he said.

In addition to Alzheimer’s patients, Crickets also can be used by patients with developmental disabilities, MacDonald said. He currently is collaborating with the executive board of the Illinois Society to develop a Cricket for autistic children, he added.

“I’ve made Crickets for 20-year-old girls and 4-year-old mentalities,” he said. “I’ve made Crickets for the blind.”

Kay Trimmer, interior designer for Scioto Community, researched and coordinated the use of the Cricket tables for Scioto’s Alzheimer’s Unit. Robert Huff, president and CEO of Dayton-based Multi-Health Services, Scioto Community’s parent company, said the Crickets will enhance the lives of Alzheimer’s patients.

“Each individual will respond differently to different stimuli,” he said.