Award Date: 2018

Project Lead(s): Gwen Dziwenko, Occupational Therapist/ Rehabilitation Technology Leader

Project Title: The Glenrose Grocery Game for Geriatric Cognitive Rehabilitation

What is the issue?

Older adults living with cognitive impairment often struggle with the activities of daily living. Many need support to live independently.   

We created the Grocery Game, a video game that uses grocery shopping and meal preparation activities to challenge a person’s cognitive skills. To play the game, players take a virtual trip to the grocery store to shop for ingredients and then prepare a virtual dinner for celebrity guests. As they play the game and advance to new levels, they improve their memory, problem–solving, and attention skills. They can also replay previous levels to improve their score. 

What did we do?

The original game was designed for a large touchscreen, 24 inches by 80 inches. We worked with two companies, Rebel Parachute and Beach & Lanes, to make the Grocery Game into an app for iOS and Android tablets. We redesigned it to fit smaller screens and different shapes of tablets. We also added more grocery items, recipes, and celebrities.  

What did we find?

45 patients and 30 caregivers say the game is fun and engaging. Therapists say the game provides clinical assessment support. This project led to the creation of Beach & Lanes, a mobile software company based in Edmonton, Alberta. The project also created new jobs at Rebel Parachute, a gaming company, also based in Edmonton.