Aged Care Insite Issue 97 | October-November 2016 | Page 37

technology You trialled the game with Suncare Community Services, a provider operating out of Queensland. How did those early users respond to the game? What feedback did you receive in terms of its application and knowledge-building qualities? The response was overwhelmingly positive, which was great affirmation of the strength of the program. They made comments like, ‘It’s a good simulation’, ‘The graphics are realistic’, ‘It’s more realistic than going through a multi-choice quiz’. The thing is that you start having a lot of fun with it, and you start to think that, while it’s a game, it is of real value. You said serious games are a big part of the future of health education and USC’s nursing team is already working on the development of several new training games. Why is this type of technology a good fit for health education? What are the benefits of this type of delivery? It’s accessible. In the technological age, we’re now at a stage where we have got resources, we’ve got programs, we’ve got software, we’ve got a number of other capabilities through which we can engage learners that we didn’t have before. We also need to think about the demographic and population we’re educating. Many of the people we’ve got coming through our programs are native digital learners. It tends to suit the way in which they’ve been brought up with the technology. This type of technology puts people in a real-world context, quite complex scenarios that relate to client profiles reflecting a range of conditions where support is required for people experiencing difficulties with perception, co-ordination and movement. Because the game engages people at such a high level, and because of the competitive nature that spawns from that – the fact that people are going in time and time again to increase their score – not only are they going to be able to engage and learn and apply concepts, but also [we hope] they will translate those into practice. If a player goes back into the game and attempts to rectify a mistake they have made, what they will find is that it is highly unlikely they will be given that opportunity. There are more than 100 different hazards that are spawned differently according to the different profiles for clients that are presented. For example, if you had a class of people or a group of people within an industry, who were doing this game as part of mandatory professional development, and as a player, I said to a colleague, ‘When you go into the kitchen of the two-storey house, remember to check that toaster, because it’s faulty’, when the next person went in there, or if I went back in there, myself, to try to correct it and get a higher score, that toaster may not be there or [it may not] be faulty. The whole thing with this learning style is making people think. It’s encouraging critical thinking, the development of clinical reasoning. It’s about applying knowledge. It’s not about rote learning. That’s one of the strong, positive things about using technology like this. ■ Difficulty navigating the Aged Care minefield? Our fully integrated suite of software is compliant with the latest legislation and can help you plot your way through. ✓ Stable, reliable and cost effective ✓ Fully backed up with support desk and training ✓ AIM is ‘hands on’ using its own software daily, providing payroll bureau and fully outsourced financial Management Services ✓ Community Care module is CDC compliant ✓ Our clients benefit from our knowledge of the industry and the commitment to develop ongoing practical solutions To find out how AIM can help chart your next course ✆ Call sales 03 9264 8700  AIM ad_APN Insite_185x133_Aug2015.indd 1 Email us [email protected]  Visit us www.aimsoftware.com.au  33/41–49 Norcal Rd Nunawading 3131 11/08/2015 12:19 pm agedcareinsite.com.au 35