An Ontario health facility is helping patients with disabilities play video games with the launch of a new adaptive gaming program.
The initiative, implemented at West Park Health Center in Toronto, provides patients with customized gaming technology that allows those with a variety of medical conditions and injuries to play video game consoles.
“We seem to start where emergency care stops, so many of our patients … deal with complex medical conditions that affect their functional abilities and often leave them in the hospital,” said Tim Park, an occupational therapist at West Health Center. Park told CTV Your Morning on Wednesday. “[Video gaming] can open up a whole new world of leisure as well as social interaction for our patients. “
Most video game controllers need to be used with a few fingers on both hands. But for those with limited mobility, this can act as a barrier to playing video games at all.
The Xbox adaptive controller used as part of the gaming program can be easily customized to meet the diverse needs of different patients, with several ports for attaching a wide range of accessories that make gaming more accessible. The modified controller has large buttons and allows patients to use their hands, feet, mouth or other parts of their body to engage with the technology. It is also the first of its kind to be designed and manufactured by a large technology company. The aid to finance the program was a special grant from Scotiabank.
“We can make this completely personalized according to the needs of our patients, no matter what they are [functionality] it could be, ”said Park, who is working on the program.
The adaptive video game controller on the Xbox. (Xbox.com)
The technology significantly helps patients, Park said, especially those who grew up playing video games before developing their condition or injury.
Nick Leokadio is one of the patients at West Park Healthcare Center. With a combination of complex conditions, Leocadio did not play video games for 14 years until the launch of the adaptive program. He uses his chin and tongue to control the controls.
“I take it seriously, I don’t like to lose,” Leocadio told CTVNews Toronto. “The special switch helps me play games a lot and also helps me use my brain.
Mark Barclay is another patient at the health center and has muscular dystrophy. He said the ability to play video games also has emotional benefits.
“It gives you some confidence [to] it makes you feel like you can still do certain things that you did before, ”he told CTVNews Toronto.
By conducting additional research on the positive benefits of the gaming program, the goal is to share results with other healthcare providers to encourage them to develop similar programs themselves, Park said.
“When you open this program, [we’re] showing them that they can still play the game they love … It’s just that a lot of barriers have been broken for them, “he said. “[We’re] trying to share the joy of the game. “
Watch the full video with Your Morning on CTV at the top of this article to learn more about the game program at West Park Healthcare Center.
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