Who said video games aren’t a grown-up thing? In fact, game therapy is a modern approach to improve the motor skills of Parkinson’s patients. As the severity of the symptoms increases with the progression of the disease, the use of gaming therapy gives new hope. It has proven potential to improve the quality of a patient’s life. Sukino helps the caregivers with caring for elderly with Parkinson’s disease.
Three main approaches to game therapy :
It is essential to find a Parkinsons’s disease care centre thats understands the needs of the patient’s and adopts these modern methods.
First: Achieving Dynamic balance
Doctors use game therapy to increase the ability of the patient to maintain body stability & orientation while the body parts are in motion.
For instance, ‘20,000 leaks’ is a game where the player’s avatar stands inside a glass cube, placed under seawater. The sea animals create holes in this cube. The player’s task is to seal the holes and prevent the sea water from getting inside this cube. This game involves balancing the avatar while it seals the holes.
Such games help stimulate a patient’s brain. Moreover, studies from various centres for Parkinson’s disease indicate that patients have shown improvement in maintaining balance while performing simple activities like dressing, picking up a cup or placing it back on the table.
Second: Achieving Static Balance
Gait problems are common in Parkinson’s disease. Video games like ‘Reflex Ridge’ are used to stimulate the parts of the brain responsible for the ability to walk and run. In this, the player has to jump past the obstacles and collect the points while maintaining the posture.
It has been observed that there is an increase in the gait velocity and longer stride length. Also, there is a lower rate of patient falls.
Third: Potent Stress Buster
Games inherently reduce stress, being a leisure activity. These games make the patients feel young and lively again. Games bring a positive mood and boost engagement among the patients. Our Parkinson’s disease caregivers focus to reduce their anxiety by indulging them in various games.
The best part is that our occupational therapists can introduce this to the patients as a new hobby. It appears distinct and causes no anxiety which may occur during a regular medical intervention. But before the therapy begins, neurologists perform a careful selection of the game depending upon the therapeutic goals set for the patient and the pre-existing stage of the disease.
Awareness is essential among the masses to better understand the potential of the Game therapy for Parkinson’s patients.
