Take a stroll through the nursing units at Baylor Medical Center at Irving or Baylor Medical Center at Garland, and you might see a sight that begs a second look: seniors (all over the age of 70) swinging at baseballs, golf balls and tennis balls. For these elder patients, the game (at least the way they’re playing it) has changed. Instead of wielding wooden bats, metal clubs and catgut-strung rackets, they use a slender white wand as their tool. It’s not big, but it can send a ball over the fence at any virtual stadium.
These patients are participating in Baylor’s new Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) enhancement study, which puts gaming in the forefront of their recovery process.
Recovery from a medical crisis has traditionally been a slower process for older patients given the risk of complications and, specifically, delirium. In an effort to improve recovery and get patients back to their homes earlier, the new research seeks to find out if adding a gaming component can lead to reduced delirium, as well as a healthy dose of nostalgic fun.
The study is part of a group of similar research projects that are collectively supported by a $12.4 million grant from the Deerbrook Charitable Trust. Specifically, Wheeler’s project replicates the existing international HELP study, which provides interventions preventing delirium in rehabilitating patients. Those interventions include nutritional support, socialization, physical activities and sleep monitoring, among others. And it’s working: The Yale Delirium Prevention Trial showed delirium reduction.
Now, at Baylor, researchers have added a special component to the HELP equation: gaming through the Nintendo Wii™. Megan Wheeler, MSN, RN, a clinical nurse specialist and principal investigator for the study, is leading the effort to see if the mental and physical stimulation involved in virtual games can improve a geriatric patient’s recovery process.
“My hope is to prove that the Wii™ is an enhancement to the HELP Program,” Wheeler said. “And eventually that we could institute the program across the Baylor Health Care System, driving down delirium rates, improving functional ability and maintaining cognitive function for our older adults in the hospital.”
Currently in its recruitment phase, the study puts a controller in the hands of patients recovering from stroke, heart failure and pneumonia, among other conditions. As part of their recovery program, the patients play games from the Wii™ Sports package, which includes baseball, bowling, golf and tennis.
The nurse-produced research takes place at three nursing units in Baylor Irving and two units in Baylor Garland with an existing participation pool of about 200 patients. By June 2014, Wheeler plans to enroll 320 patients in the intervention study. In the meantime, the feedback from the current patient pools suggests that seniors and games aren’t such a bad mix.
“When we discharge them, we ask, ‘What did you think about this program?’ and they usually all have positive things to say,” Wheeler said. “Just knowing that we are making even a small difference in their lives is really rewarding.”
MEDIA CONTACT
Kristine Hughes
Kristine.Hughes@baylorhealth.edu
214-820-7556
About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White promotes the health and well-being of every individual, family and community it serves. It is committed to making quality care more accessible, convenient and affordable through its integrated delivery network, which includes the Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance and its leading digital health platform – MyBSWHealth. Through 51 hospitals and more than 1,200 access points, including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing more than a century ago, Baylor Scott & White today serves more than three million Texans. For more information, visit: BSWHealth.com
