New WLU Speech Therapy Device ‘Lights the Way’ to Treatment

Photo by Emma Delk. WLU Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Education Director Carol Zombotti, left, paints a picture of a car on the new device, and WLU Speech-Language Pathologist Sara Alig, right.

WHEELING — Speech therapy patients with dementia at West Liberty University Speech & Hearing and Behavioral Health Clinic play hammer games, plant gardens and do other things as part of their treatment with an innovative rehabilitation device.

Tovartafel device what does it mean “magic table” in Dutch, allows patients to perform these activities using light projections and infrared sensors that detect real-time gestures to track hand and foot movements.

This innovative device is the first of its kind in the state. WLU obtained the system through a grant from the Milan Puskar Foundation.

The machine performs treatment by projecting various therapeutic games onto any 6-foot table, and the device’s projection is also transferred to the floor. Using the projected games, professors and students at WLU Speech & Hearing and Behavioral Health Clinic can treat patients with speech disorders and dementia.

Carol Zombotti, director of clinical education in speech-language pathology at WLU, explained that the device is a rehabilitation tool for speech disorders, language-based learning disorders and social communication deficits.

Although the device has only been in operation at the clinic for a week, Zombotti and Sara Alig, a speech therapist at WLU, have already seen benefits in patients of all ages.

“Before we started using this device, we would sometimes just roll a golf ball across the tabletop, so even if patients couldn’t speak, it was easy for them to catch the ball and continue with the therapy.” said Alig. “This starts the brain building a connection with someone else. Now we can do the same ball-rolling action and more with Tovartafel.”

Alig noted that the device is particularly helpful for dementia patients in the later stages of the disease. They can receive “visual stimulating element” needed during treatment through the table. She explained that simulating activities on the machine, such as planting a garden, is also helpful in preventing cognitive decline in dementia patients.

Some games, such as passing a beach ball, encourage dementia patients to move, while other activities, such as polishing and sorting cutlery, encourage more advanced skills. “categorization and task orientation” according to Alig.

Games that do not require movement, such as art classes, also help dementia patients relax.

“We had a patient with late-stage Alzheimer’s who was behaving badly and was very agitated.” said Alig. “When she came in and started playing with the table, her demeanor completely changed. She calmed down while using the device, and that reaction was one of the most significant things I’ve seen so far.”

In addition to its benefits for older dementia patients, the device has also proven helpful for younger speech therapy patients at the clinic. Zombotti explained that one game that has proven beneficial for younger patients is an activity in which the player must match the sound of a farm animal to the animal’s projection.

“We have a student in our clinic who has some difficulty distinguishing between different sounds, so playing with farm animals helped her figure out what sounds she could hear.” Zombotti said. “This same girl also has some memory problems, so we play other memory-matching games with her.”

In addition to its beneficial effects during individual therapy, Tovartafel was also used in the dementia support group at the WLU speech and hearing clinic to promote social communication, promote physical activity and build cognitive reserve.

“There is one lady in our adult group who has quite significant brain changes. She likes gardening and farming.” Zombotti said. “Working with her, we incorporated farming and gardening activities into her classes, which helps us connect with her.”

WLU Speech & Hearing and Behavioral Health Clinic student Emma Hershman has noticed that the device has become a popular activity for her adult patients. She explained that it adds a much-needed break from the speech workbooks her patients work through during sessions.

“After we did the fly-swatting exercise and the memory game, my patients’ mood completely changed” Hershman said. “I’ve never seen them smile like that, and now they’re asking if they can use the device all the time.”

The device was put to good use during its first week at the facility, and Alig noted that “faster turnaround time” while achieving the goals of patients using Tovartafel.

Zombotti added that with the development of speech therapy, patients are also offered other activities than “saying your S and R” has become an important aspect of treatment.

“Whenever you use other methods of communication, there is a completely different element to how you can achieve your goals in a therapy session.” said Alig. “It’s a completely different form of therapy than using an exercise book, where you can say to the patient, ‘Okay, here’s a functional exercise where you can plant tomatoes.’”

Zombotti and Alig encourage anyone in the area interested in the device and in need of affordable dementia treatment or speech therapy to contact the WLU Speech & Hearing and Behavioral Health Clinic at 304-336-8199. The clinic also hosts a free chronic brain disorder support group for patients and their caregivers on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m. at the First Christian Church on National Road.

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