Faculty Advisor

Tucker, Jennifer

Publication Date

Spring 5-1-2018

Abstract

The University of Central Florida’s Knights on the Go Café offers survivors of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) the opportunity to rehabilitate in an immersive real world environment. Participants are able to work on integrating skills from multiple domains; including physical, cognitive, and social domains. The cafe is equipped with an overhead harness system allowing for mobility without the risk of fall or injury. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the harness café on functional outcome measures in participants over time. Impact was examined through a retrospective analysis of programmatic data including: 6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT), Functional Reach Test/Modified Functional Reach Test, Dynamic Gait Index (DGI), Timed Up and Go (TUG), 9-hole peg test (9HPT), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Data was collected for 3 participants between February 2016 and December 2017. Participant A1 improved on MoCA and TUG . Participant A2 made significant improvements in DGI, TUG, and 9HPT scores. Participant D improved with two of the four TUG conditions and 6MWT. Overall, participants had varied improvements in performance on the functional outcome measures. The immersive environment of the harness cafe may improve functional outcomes when physical therapy is no longer available. Additionally, the Knights on the Go Harness Café may be able to provide meaningful social relationships through observation and subjective reporting.

Access Status

UCF Only

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