'A lot of function has been coming back': Hospital uses video games in patient rehab

Video game initiative helping Foothills patients A new video game initiative to help rehabilitate hospital patients has taken over the Foothills Medical Centre.

The Foothills Medical Centre (FMC) in Calgary has become one of the few hospitals in Canada to offer an adaptive gaming system for patient therapy.

Through a partnership with Makers Making Change and a grant from the Calgary Health Foundation, the tertiary neuro rehab team at FMC has been equipped with various video game consoles, controllers and games, along with a 3D printer to create custom molds that attach to the controllers.

These attachments are designed so that any patient, regardless of their physical hand or finger limitations, can effectively use the controller.

Karl Sawatzky, a patient diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome in January 2024, has been using this new system as part of his rehab at FMC. Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare condition where the immune system attacks the nerves.

"All my nerves were pretty much shot. So I was a quadriplegic for a while there in the ICU and had to have the breathing tube and everything," Sawatzky said.

Sawatzky says he enjoyed recreational gaming before his diagnosis and appreciates the integration of it into his therapy. After about two months, he has seen his mobility improve.

"A lot of function has been coming back in my hands," he said.

"I've gone from not being able to really sit on my own to now starting to actually walk using a walker."

Michelle Haley, a recreation therapist and clinical lead at FMC, explained how the equipment is tailored to each individual and is versatile enough to accommodate various impairments.

"The joystick is in his left hand, so it's increasing the range of motion that he has in his left side. We've also set up the switches so that they're not so close together, so that he would have to reach a little bit more," she described.

Haley said she recognizes the growing need for such technology.

"We were noticing that we were getting a lot more patients who enjoyed gaming as a leisure pursuit, and we just didn't have the equipment necessary to provide them with that particular activity they wanted to get back to," she said.

The equipment and technology to build adaptive gaming systems is expensive, and that's where Makers Making Change comes in.

"We'll work with the centre to either get them a grant to purchase all this gaming gear, or if we have grant funding over time we'll give it to them and then I do all of the training," said Tyler Fentie, accessible gaming lead with Makers Making Change.

"We offer these spaces for people to trial their technology and know what works for them, so when they go back home they have that setup and that controller that's built for them."

The therapeutic benefits of this gaming initiative are multifaceted. For those dealing with cognitive or physical challenges, such as a burn or stroke patient, gaming can significantly aid in skill acquisition and recovery.

Moreover, the social aspect of gaming helps to reduce the sense of isolation often experienced by individuals with disabilities.

"It's just nice to have something a little more normal in a way," Sawatzky said.

"You're in rehab and doing a lot of physical stuff that you normally do. So it's nice to kind of get away and not be thinking about all that stuff."