Group Game Therapy

Group Game Therapy
Linnea Laufer and Laura Hessig, COTAs at Park View Gardens, joined their creative talents to create an OT treatment game that we frequently use with our patients. They created the game about two years ago in response to a request that the department increase the use of group treatments. Not only did they come up with a great idea, but they managed to include the patients in the creation of the game itself, which added to the overall experience!

The game is played as a board game with up to four players. Each player has a marker for the game board, and there is one large die. The spaces on the game board include a wide variety of tasks that the players are asked to perform. If a player lands on a task that they are unable to perform due to their level of disability, they are asked to pick an alternate card, which typically defines a cognitive/social task to perform. Some of the tasks included in the game are: changing a pillow case, picking up five bean bags with a reacher, donning a hospital gown, stacking cones positioned at a therapeutic distance, and doing exercises with a weight bar or stick. The activities can be graded in difficulty by having them perform from a seated or standing position as appropriate. The alternate questions that are used when a task seems inappropriate include memory questions like naming the other players at the table, telling what they had for breakfast, and stating the date. There is also a card that asks them to give a compliment to the person on their right, and one that asks what they are to do with the wheelchair before standing.

We keep the supplies all together so there is no time spent gathering items when a therapist wants to use the game. The supplies for the tasks we use in the game are a dressing stick and reacher, theraband, hospital gown, empty pill bottle and beans, five cones, two towels, five bean bags, a pillow and pillow case, ball, and a cane or weighted stick.

To create the game, Linnea and Laura had patients help with tasks while working on fine motor skills and standing activities:

Cutting out the shapes for the game board spaces and alternate cards
Gluing the shapes on the pages
Hole punching the pages.
Tying the pages together

The pages were laminated and tied together to create a game board that folds down to the size of a single piece of paper. When the board is laid out on a table, it is large enough for all the patients to reach it, and the therapist can turn it to face whichever patient is having their turn.

The patients have great fun and encourage each other during the game. The socialization and camaraderie are also a great benefit to our patients!

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