Stroke victims go shopping

Stroke victims and occupational therapists will benefit from a newly developed virtual reality system which allows an effective way of testing a stroke patient’s alertness and logical processing.

The Shopping Simulator program, launched at South Australia’s Repatriation General Hospital last Friday (13 May 2011) was developed by the Medical Device Partnering Program (MDPP) at Flinders University, in collaboration with the Department of Rehabilitation and Aged Care.

The program allows patients to move through a virtual supermarket, selecting groceries and adding them to a trolley, to demonstrate whether they are capable of making logical decisions.

MDPP director, Professor Karen Reynolds, told DPS Publishing that the program allows stroke victims to “practice something that others usually take for granted, such as going out shopping.”

Professor Reynolds said the program’s assessment was not a “physical test” but rather a “cognitive task” to see whether stroke victims are able to select the products they need, the ability to manage financially and present the correct money at the cash register.

“Going shopping is often a really daunting task for stroke victims in real-life,” Professor Reynolds said.

“Patients will be in a safe environment and will have a therapist sitting next to them when using the Shopping Simulator,” she added.

Trial feedback using the program has found the touch-screen program is easy to use and the patient does not need to be computer literate to operate it.

“Our simulation software recreates the grocery shopping experience with the aid of a simple touch-screen computer and a ‘trolley handle’,” Professor Reynolds said.

She said although strokes are more prevalent in older Australians, the Shopping Simulator could be used by anyone who has had a stroke.

She said future reviews of the Shopping Simulator in months to come would provide some insight as to whether the program could also be used by people suffering with other cognitive diseases, such as dementia.

Minister for Ageing Jennifer Rankine said the state government was proud to support research projects that have an impact on people’s quality of life.

“The South Australian Government has provided more than $1 million in funding to the Medical Device Partnering Program at Flinders University to help develop important research that assists South Australians in their everyday lives,” Minister Rankine said.

“I am pleased to see one of the significant projects funded through this program in action,” she said.