Sunday 13 November 2011

Older Adults Prefer Traditional Therapy Techniques Over Interactive Video Games

Researchers from Finders University set out to determine if hospitalized older adults accepted interactive video games such as the Nintendo Wii Fit as a therapeutic tool. The results of their study were published in the October issue of BMC Geriatrics. Led by Kate Laver, MD, of the Department of Rehabilitation and Aged Care at Finders University, Adelaide, South Australia, the researchers used a discrete choice experiment (DCE) before and after exposure to the intervention to determine the therapy preference for 21 participants.
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A DCE was administered in interview-style format prior to and following several sessions of physiotherapy using the Wii Fit. Attributes of the DCE included mode of therapy, amount of therapy, cost of therapy program, and percentage of recovery made. The physiotherapist who prescribed the Wii Fit activities was on hand to supervise and support the patient during the therapy sessions. According to the study’s results, before therapy sessions the program participants were more concerned about therapy time, including avoiding programs that were too intensive, and the amount of recovery they would make. After the therapy program, however, researchers found that the participants were more concerned with the type of therapy performed, preferring traditional therapy programs instead of programs using the Wii Fit. The researchers concluded that the usefulness of Wii Fit and other interactive video games as a therapy tool for hospitalized older adults is limited by the small proportion of those who are able to use the device, as well by the participants’ preference for traditional forms of therapy. Source: BMC Geriatrics Click here for more

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