Author Archive: Amanda Capone

Thankful for more RESTORE!

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Beans, greens, potatoes, stuffing, pie…yum! We can’t wait to eat & celebrate with our families next week. Luckily, your players can start their festivities early with these Thanksgiving-themed games! Have fun with the following activities while you reminisce with your patients and families about their favorite holiday stories. They’ll be grateful you did!

Turkey Hunt 

What’s Thanksgiving without the turkey?! In this game, players aim the target at a turkey & dwell on shooting. After playing, a patient said, “I like that it makes you competitive with yourself, and it’s fun to compete with the other patients. I love it! It exercised my arms and mind while having fun!” Launch this game to work on bilateral coordination, accuracy, and range of motion. After all this turkey, you might need a nap!

Fall Feast

It’s time to set the table for your big family dinner! Control the pilgrim by moving side to side to catch the fall feast items shown (listed from bottom to top) while avoiding the incorrect items. When playing this game, a speech therapist in the Marquis network said: “This is great for working memory!” You’ll have your plate full with options, like playing with a controller attached to the hand, head, chest, or finger. Be sure to adjust the range of motion based on the amount of movement desired for your player.

Throwing a Thanksgiving meal for your residents and looking to add some fun?!  These games will have them laughing, reminiscing, and returning for seconds. Log in today to satisfy your appetite! 🍽🦃

Follow  RESTOREskills on Facebook & LinkedIn for updates on our platform, new game announcements, testimonials, tips, and much much more! To have your story featured on our blog, please contact our social media manager via email amanda@restoreskills.com or call (330) 968-2879. We look forward to supporting your goals

fun group therapy

Can You Participate in 2 Group Sessions at the Same Time?

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To wrap up this series of posts, I’m happy to share one more joyful moment from my trip to our MA facilities last month. If you have yet to read my other posts about great customer experiences, you can find them here, but now I am thrilled to share a fun group therapy story with you.

Meeting Diane

This time, we’re back to Cedar View Rehab! On this day, the therapy team had every patient participate in some epic group play. Here I met Diane, RESTORE’s #1 fan, who blew me away when she participated in two group sessions back-to-back! It was truly a delight to see her so eager to engage.

For their group session, the therapists split people into two playing groups. Each station was set up to play Ski Saga where players worked on weight shifting, trunk rotation, squatting, strengthening, and standing tolerance. It was great to see the variety of exercises and controllers used to enhance the session. The whole room was full of excitement players took turns “skiing” to reach their therapy goals.

The RESTORE Difference

In her first session, Diane used a dowel rod to work on standing trunk rotation and upper extremity strengthening. Still energized after soaring through her first session, she joined my group where she practiced weight-shifting, squatting, and balance. Even when a therapist told Diane, “you can take a break and sit down if you’d like” she continued to play, pushing herself to complete each task. 

When she finally agreed to take a break, I showed Diane her playing time.  The smile on her face was undeniable when she realized she played for over 20 minutes! “I feel great,” she said, “I was having so much fun, I didn’t even realize I was playing so long!” The room buzzed with happiness from the fun and everyone seemed to have a better day because of it.

Do you have any fun stories from a RESTORE group play session? Tell me about it by sending an email with your story and a few of your favorite pictures. We can’t wait to share the smiles from all our users! 

Follow  RESTOREskills on Facebook & LinkedIn for updates on our platform, new game announcements, testimonials, tips, and much much more! To schedule an obligation free demonstration of our on-demand therapy platform with our team, please contact us at info@restoreskills.com or call (330) 968-2879. We look forward to supporting your goals!

 

increasing patient independence

“I’ve got this, I don’t need help!”

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Thank you for following these posts as I share another happy moment from my trip to our MA Marquis facilities. If you haven’t had the chance to read my first blog post about Maria or the second post about Joe, you can find them here. But now, I am thrilled to share Madeline’s story about patient independence!

Meeting Madeline

Elmhurst Rehab was the first facility I visited during my trip, talk about a perfect way to begin the week. Their therapy team was so excited to get started, and that energy spread to everyone who played that afternoon. During our session, one of the OTs brought in a patient “who was already in love” with RESTORE. Now, if I had one word to describe Madeline, it would be fierce! As she told us, this wasn’t her first time playing, and she was ready to show off! 

The RESTORE Difference

During her session, Madeline worked on a targeted range of motion and strengthening her upper extremities. I was very impressed when she picked one of the toughest games, Ancient Temple, for her session. Now, I’ve played this game myself, and I can tell you that after a few minutes, your shoulders and arms will feel the burn! But with each level, Madeline kept climbing higher and higher. Even when met with a challenge, she pushed through until the level was complete. Having fun helped her independence and pushed her to play unassisted. Even when our Clinical Director, Ian, tried to guide her with a task, Madeline said, “I’ve got this, I don’t need help”!

With all it’s levels, Ancient Temple is a game that can last for over 12 minutes! And Madeline, being the independent person she is, reached the final one! What was even more incredible was the fact that this was only one of the games she played that afternoon. I was amazed by Madeline’s efforts and loved getting to know her fierce personality.

Do you have any stories about RESTORE helping with patient independence? Tell me about it by sending me an email. We want to share your smiles, tips, and ideas with all our users.  

Follow  RESTOREskills on Facebook & LinkedIn for updates on our platform, new game announcements, testimonials, tips, and much much more! To schedule an obligation free demonstration of our on-demand therapy platform with our team, please contact us at info@restoreskills.com or call (330) 968-2879. We look forward to supporting your goals!

patients encourage each other for a better day

Patients Encourage Each Other for a Better Day!

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Here is another happy moment from my trip to our MA facilities last month. If you haven’t had the chance to read my first blog post about Maria’s great therapy experience, you can find it here. But now, I am thrilled to share a story about Joe encouraging his fellow patients that is sure to bring a smile to your face.

Getting to Know Joe

Joe was the very first patient to stop in the gym at River Terrace the morning of our visit. I love meeting patients like Joe, he was open-minded and jumped at the chance to try something new during his therapy session! When finding the right game, Joe mentioned that he had never skied, so we checked that off his bucket list by loading Ski Saga.

While practicing, Joe used various controllers and played four different games to work on weight-shifting, balance, and stepping up & down. He told us that he couldn’t wait to tell his grandson that he went skiing in therapy! After his session was over, Joe left the gym with a big grin on his face. Lucky for us, that wasn’t the last time we would see him during our visit. 

The RESTORE Difference

Just twenty minutes after leaving the therapy gym, Joe was back! At that point, a few other patients had joined our group. “Can I come back and watch you play?” he asked, “this is better than being in my room.” It was fantastic! His positive and upbeat attitude was the key to all of us having a better day.  

The entire time Joe was there to encourage patients as they worked on their own skills. He watched as they played, cheering them on, and making conversation with everyone in the room! It was incredible to see everyone laugh, play, and learn more about each other.  

Do you have a patient story like Joe’s? We’d love to hear about the difference RESTORE games make in your daily treatment! 

Follow  RESTOREskills on Facebook & LinkedIn for updates on our platform, new game announcements, testimonials, tips, and much much more! To schedule an obligation free demonstration of our on-demand therapy platform with our team, please contact us at info@restoreskills.com or call (330) 968-2879. We look forward to supporting your goals!

WOmna plays online therapy games with therapist

Therapy that Patients Love to Tell Their Families About!

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Last month, I visited several of our facilities in the Marquis Health Services network. It was amazing to see how happy patients in therapy are when practicing with RESTORE!  I was so thrilled to see patient’s smiles, laughter, and sense of achievement in “real life” and not only over the phone or by reading testimonials. These moments remind me of why I love my job and I want to share my amazing experience with you over the next few blog posts.

Meeting Maria

During a visit to Cedar View Rehab, I was thrilled to meet Maria who was recovering from knee surgery and recently began working on standing tolerance in her therapy sessions. Maria was eager to play, even though she “wasn’t sure what to do” at first. Well, as it turns out, she was born natural when it comes to RESTORE.  Using her walker and guided by a therapist, Maria worked on standing tolerance, balance, weight shifting, and squatting. It was amazing to see how incredibly determined she was throughout her session. Even when she felt pain or discomfort, she pushed herself to reach the next goal! 

The RESTORE Difference

When she finished playing, a huge smile spread across Maria’s face. She couldn’t believe she engaged with the game for over 7 minutes! The energy from her RESTORE session carried over into her other treatment, still smiling as she talked to others in the group about the games. As I was leaving, Maria even introduced me to her son who came to visit! It was a wonderful morning and it felt great to be part of her good day.

My visit to Cedar View was special because it showed me the immediate impact of RESTORE. I saw the difference once therapists pushed past their comfort zone to embrace an innovative tool. I saw her pride when Maria pushed herself to stand and exercise longer than she thought she could. And I got to see her share that moment with her son. It was truly incredible to see how happy patients in therapy were when practicing with RESTORE!

Now that I’ve shared Maria's story, I wanna hear yours! Send me an email of your own experience, we’d love to hear how RESTORE is helping you have a better day. 

Follow  RESTOREskills on Facebook & LinkedIn for updates on our platform, new game announcements, testimonials, tips, and much much more! To schedule an obligation free demonstration of our on-demand therapy platform with our team, please contact us at info@restoreskills.com or call (330) 968-2879. We look forward to supporting your goals!

Announcing Our RESTORE Halloween Photo Contest 🎃

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October 28th through November 1st, we’re running a RESTORE Halloween Photo Contest! To enter, simply send us a photo of your therapy team & patients playing our one of our SPOOKTACULAR Single Play games. The top 2 photo submissions will receive a Sweet Treat Basket!

Ready, Set, Scare:

  • The photo must feature a therapist, care partner, and/or patient playing one of the Halloween themed Single Play games
  • Be sure to include your name, your patient’s name, & the facility name with your photo
  • Sign & submit this waiver for each person featured in the photo
  • Submissions will be accepted via email amanda@restoreskills.com and text message (234) 303-0723
  • The two (2) winners will be informed on Tuesday, November 5th

So, throw on your costume, turn up the Monster Mash, & host your own RESTORE Halloween Party! May the best ghoul win 👻

-- the RESTORE Team

Meet Your Group & Concurrent Therapy Goals

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We want to help you reach your group and concurrent therapy goals in an exciting and engaging way. Add fun to your center, encourage residents to move more, and build community with our new group play feature. In this post, we'll discuss group play and learn how centers are incorporating games into their group practice. Then, we'll review tips to help you and your team get started!

The RESTORE Difference

The Group Play feature helps with the PDPM requirements for group and concurrent therapy. The portability of the platform eliminates environmental limitations to promote enjoyable and engaging group therapy opportunities. For instance, you can create practice opportunities by setting up several stations or engaging multiple players on different devices simultaneously.

Our users love to engage with the group play setting. In fact, at a team training in a Massachusetts center we saw the power of gamification during simultaneous group sessions. To start, the therapists split people into two groups and set up each station was to play Ski Saga. Then, players worked on weight shifting, trunk rotation, squatting, strengthening, and standing tolerance. It was great to see the variety of exercises and controllers used to enhance the session! The whole room was full of excitement as players took turns "skiing" to reach their therapy goals.

Together is Fun

Our fun, innovative, and engaging therapeutic activities bring a vibrant boost to your therapy gym. Playing games in a group session can facilitate conversation among players as they discuss their hobbies, memories, or traditions. Players enjoy playing together as a team, in large groups by taking turns, or even tournament style to create some excitement and light-hearted competition.

Centers can also enjoy Group Play when playing as part of a community event in the activity department or elsewhere. For instance, the team can create a "pet therapy" day at the center and incorporate RESTORE animal-themed games as one station, along with stations for making dog biscuits, playing fetch with a therapy retriever, and setting up a pet show.

We hope these tips spark your imagination and encourage you to step out of the box for your next therapy session or group activity. Do you have any fun stories from a RESTORE group play session? Tell me about it by sending your account and a few of your favorite pictures to amanda@restoreskills.com.

Follow  RESTOREskills on Facebook & LinkedIn for updates on our platform, new game announcements, testimonials, tips, and much much more! To schedule an obligation free demonstration of our on-demand therapy platform with our team, please contact us at info@restoreskills.com or call (330) 968-2879. We look forward to supporting your goals!

 

More Opportunities for Practice!

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Because we know that providing unique opportunities for repeated skill practice in a fun, positive environment improves mood and function, we added *three (3) more games* to the RESTORE platform. More games = more opportunities for meaningful skill-building & practice! 

What’s New?

Each of the following games can be used to target an array of skills, in a variety of positions for the just-right-fit!

BREAK THE ICE

Break all of the ice bricks! In this game, the player moves a paddle left and right along the bottom of the screen. Break all the blocks on the screen by bouncing the ball off the paddle. If the ball falls off the bottom of the screen, you lose a life. Some bricks release power-ups when broken - make sure you catch them and use them to break more ice! Skills: This game aims to improve accuracy, awareness, stability, motor regulation, planning, and midline crossing. Use two controllers to focus on bilateral coordination.  

  • Play with one or two controllers (attached or separated).
  • Recommended playing with a controller attached to the hand, head, chest or finger.
  • Change the range of motion based on the amount of movement desired for the player.

LADYBUGS

Control the bridge/s over the water to line up to the ladybugs to help them cross the river. Don’t let the fly’s cross! Stars and hearts are bonuses! Skills: This game aims to improve accuracy, efficiency, and attention. Ideal for targeting motor control and inhibition. Use two controllers to focus on bilateral coordination.

  • It can be played with 1 or 2 controllers (attached or separated).
  • Recommended playing with controllers attached to hands, knees or chest. Use weights and tilt camera up to work on shoulder press motion.
  • Attach to knee/s to work on weight shifting and balance. Attach to the chest and have the player step up and down on a step or into a squat position to reach the top and bottom of the river.
  • See the settings below for the specific skills/areas you can target including vertical and horizontal movement (Movement direction), visual tracking starting on the right, left or both sides (Bugs Appear From) and the number of bridges to control vertically (Number of Rivers to Cross).

SPACEBOARD

Help the surfer move to avoid hitting obstacles in their path. Play with one controller and move your body up, down, and side to side to collect coins and avoid obstacles. Skills: Ideal for improving balance, range-of-motion, and motor planning & timing.  

  • Play with one controller.
  • Recommended playing with controllers attached to hands, knees or chest
  • Tilt camera up to target lower extremities.
  • Incorporate a “real “ space board for your patient to stand on when playing, using a step or stool.

Add one or all of these games to a player’s session to encourage practice and track player’s daily progress! Don't have access to the platform? No problem, give us a call or email us! 

Follow the RESTORE blog for updates on industry news, PDPM, platform upgrades, new game announcements, user experience, and much much more! To schedule an obligation free demonstration of our on-demand therapy platform with our team, please contact us at info@restoreskills.com or call (234) 303-0723. We look forward to supporting your goals!

New Activity to Practice Medication Management!

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The practice of cognitive skills, like executive function, is essential for patients to build and retain the IADLs they need to be independent. One such skill that patients must demonstrate competence in is the management of their prescription medication. But finding new and innovative ways to exercise these skills can, at times, present a challenge. 

Medication Management

Did you know that 87% of seniors take at least one prescription drug, with 36% taking 5 or more?

Sure, seniors can use Alexa to set medication reminders, but can they place the correct dosage in their pill organizer? Can they identify which pill is which? Staying organized is essential to proper medication management for seniors. And, using a pill organizer allows patients to pre-sort their medications for the week.

Extending Practice

The new RESTORE game, Pill Skill, is designed to help individuals manage their medications, so they take them on time, all the time, and avoid the dangers of incorrect medication administration. 

Pill Skill, allows players to practice this task repeatedly in a fun, positive environment. To play, your patient will first, read or listen to the instructions for their prescription/s. Then, they will determine if they are to take the medication in the AM or PM. Finally, they will select the pill, choose the correct quantity, and drag it to the appropriate side and day/s in the pill organizer.

Why Play?

  • Improve patient use & administration of medications
  • Increase the percentage of patients meeting their health care goals
  • Reduce side effects & duplication, as well as drug interactions, of all medication

Review Daily Progress to learn if patients can: 

  • Read and understand dosing instructions
  • Follow dosing instructions
  • Demonstrate the necessary motoric skills for organizing & taking medications

Each time your patient plays, the game will begin with the last level they completed. As they continue to practice, the tasks increase with difficulty, giving players a constant challenge. Encourage practice and track player’s daily progress by playing Pill Skill in your next session.

Follow the RESTORE blog for updates on industry news, PDPM, platform upgrades, new game announcements, user experience, and much much more! To schedule an obligation free demonstration of our on-demand therapy platform with our team, please contact us at info@restoreskills.com or call (234) 303-0723. We look forward to supporting your goals!

It’s fun to go to the OHCA!

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Spring is officially here (even if it doesn’t feel like it) and we officially have Spring Fever! And in the SNF industry, Spring Fever = Conference Fever! As previously announced, our team will be present at the AOTA Conference April 3-6, 2019.  You can read more about those conference details here. While we love a chance to network on a national stage – we are thrilled for the opportunity to connect with professionals in our own backyard! Next month, our team heads to the 2019 OHCA Conference & Expo in Columbus. We’re eager for this chance to share the newest RESTORE innovations and network with Ohio’s skilled nursing community. 

  • 2019 OHCA Annual Conference & Expo
  • April 29 – May 2, 2019
  • The Columbus Convention Center
    400 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215

RESTORE, the online, skill-building platform, empowers patients in physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about our OT-developed platform. Stop by Booth #1042 – where we will be offering platform demos and answering your questions. Come give our activities a try or just to say hi! We look forward to learning how we can help you meet and exceed your goals under PDPM.

Not attending the conference this year? Don’t worry! Schedule an obligation-free RESTORE demonstration with our team anytime, just email info@restoreskills.com or call (234) 303-0723. We look forward to supporting your goals!

See ya there!