Tag Archives: occupational therapy

power of therapeutic gamification

The Power of Therapeutic Gamification

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We know it’s not always easy to engage a patient, especially when they’ve had a tough day. We also know that creating fun, interactive experiences can help lead to a better day. This week, we’ll look at another facility to learn about the power of therapeutic gamification and how it can help provide an enhanced patient experience.  

During a therapy visit to New Eastwood Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center, we were so excited to see the impact of the therapeutic activities on patients throughout the gym. The first patient to play during our visit was Mike, who recently returned to the facility from being in the hospital. With his therapist, Mike focused on AROM and activity tolerance while seated. As he played he it was clear he was having a lot of fun! He told us that playing worked out his arms and shoulders and that he was impressed that it made him short of breath! 

The RESTORE Effect

As they progressed through the session, another patient asked to join Mike and play the game Bull’s Eye so they could have a “shootout” competition. So, she set up both players on the same device, selected “Group Play,” and started the contest! The players loved the activity, the second saying, “it’s fun to compete with other patients, but it also makes you competitive with yourself because you want to get better. It exercises your body and mind while having fun!” 

In addition to Mike’s shootout partner joining in on the fun, another patient asked to play! She watched the two men enjoying the friendly and asked if she could play. Although seated during her prior dowel exercise, the therapist referred the patient to stand when playing. So, the therapist placed a ball in the middle of the same dowel turning it into a controller.  The patient stood for 10 minutes and completed too many interactive repetitions to keep track of visually. At the end of the session, the patient expressed how much FUN she had and that she enjoyed not thinking about it being exercise. 

The RESTORE Difference 

Later on, the therapist pulled up the data from the session to show the patient. They reviewed her movement pattern and the heat map of the bilateral movements completed during her entire session. The therapist expressed that this session was far more productive in working towards the patient’s goals than the short dowel sessions alone. The patient added that the 10 minutes of standing flew by because she was having fun!

What started as a single patient playing games quickly turned into additional patients engaging in group play or asking to play on their own. The smiles and laughter generated from the gaming experience caught the attention of other patients working on their personal goals throughout the gym.  From Mike to the final patient, we were able to see first hand the ripple effect therapeutic gamification had on everyone present. 

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!

overcoming patient refusals

Overcoming Patient Refusals

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Have you ever tried to get a patient down to the therapy gym for their session without success? If so, you know how difficult it is to overcome patient refusals. The reasons given are many: “I’m too tired; My family is visiting soon; I’m afraid I’ll fall; It’s too hard; I just don’t want to.” So what can you do to handle these situations? In this post, I’m going to share a story about a therapist who adjusted her approach to beat this challenge. I hope it encourages you to try something new when overcoming patient refusals.

The RESTORE Difference 

At a recent facility visit, an SLP shared that the patient she was scheduled to see refused to come to the gym. Simply put, he didn’t want to do therapy that afternoon. The therapist shared videos of other patients playing RESTORE games to encourage him to come down to the gym. But, the patient still didn’t want to leave and said he would only be interested in playing if he could play in his room. As long as you have an internet connection and a webcam supported device, you can quickly load games. So, the therapist quickly grabbed a laptop and started a session right in her patient’s room! 

They played games to address sequencing and Pill Skill for medication management.  At the end of the session, the patient expressed how much FUN he had and that he enjoyed not thinking about it being exercise. It was wonderful because we did not have to disrupt the treatment session in the gym in order to bring the technology to another patient bedside. When the therapist decided to think outside of the box by reaching for a new tool, she completed a meaningful 30-minute session with her patient that they both enjoyed!

Let Us Know Your Success Story!

I hope this post illustrates how you can step out of the box to overcome daily challenges. Do you have any stories about RESTORE helping with patient independence? Tell me about it by sending me an email amanda@restoreskills.com. 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!

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!

We’re Heading to the Big Easy!

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Raise your hand if you're ready for #AOTA19 🤚🤚🤚

 

This winter has been a cold one for our team up north! So, we’re just a *little* excited for the chance to network with OT professionals in the Big Easy! April 4-6, 2019, our team will be exhibiting the latest RESTORE innovations at the American Occupational Therapy Association conference in New Orleans, Louisiana!

At the RESTORE booth, we will be offering demos of our skill-building activities. Stop by Booth # 619 and give it a try or just say hi! We look forward to discussing how we can partner with you to meet and exceed your needs as we prepare for PDPM.

Use #RESTOREwithUs on #AOTA19 posts for a chance to be featured  on our Facebook and Twitter. See ya there!

Not attending the conference this year? Not to worry, 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!