Touch Screen Rehabilitation System Prototype Based on Cognitive Exercise Therapy

Abstract

In recent years the number of rehabilitation patients all over the world is rapidly increasing as society ages and stroke and dementia spread. Continuous rehabilitation helps physical and mental maintenance and recovery. However, the recovery process involves hard and dull work which can result in the patient abandoning the treatment. This problem requires a solution both effective and agreeable. Nowadays, cognitive exercise therapies are widely used to combine mental and physical function recovery. We introduce touch panel ad-hoc developed games into this therapy, motivating the user to actively participate in the rehabilitation and making the whole process reliable and days touch screens are commonly used in daily life, re-moving the need for an initial learning stage. This makes touch screens a perfect inter-face for people all ages, even if their mobility is reduced. In this paper, a prototype touch screen rehabilitation system based on cognitive exercise therapy is developed. Two applications are used to ensure rehabilitation reliability: Whack-a-Mole and Simon games. A usability evaluation test is employed to assess system's effectiveness. Additionally, two different touch screens were used, tested and evaluated. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014.