Table Hockey

Intervention Summary

Goals: Balance
Patient task: Push ball back and forth across therapy hi-low mat table to dog
Dog task: Push ball back to patient
Scale: Patient positioning, surface, resistance
Equipment needed: Ball

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Intervention Overview

Unlock your patient’s competitive side through a game of table hockey with your facility dog! Position your patient and dog on opposite sides of a therapy hi-low mat table and push a ball back and forth to each other.

Patient Instructions

• Patient positioned on one side of mat

• Use upper extremities to push ball across mat to facility dog

Dog’s Role

• Dog positioned on opposite side of mat from patient

• Use nose to push ball across the mat back to patient

• Interaction level: active

Scaling

Make it easier:

• Patient seated in chair/wheelchair

• Use a lightweight ball to minimize resistance

Make it harder:

• Change patient’s foot positioning: feet together, tandem stance, single leg stance, squat

• Patient stands on uneven surfaces: foam balance pad, BOSU ball

• Use weighted dowel rod to hit ball back for upper extremity resistance

• Add sidestepping along length of mat to get to ball

Additional Notes

• Our facility dog’s favorite ball: Ollyball