Date: Jul 12, 2016 Author: Andrew Rowe Source: nwindianalife.com (
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Jacob's Ladder Pediatric Rehabilitation is extending their reach of care with their new VGo robot technology that they received as part of a generous donation by the Starlight Children's Foundation.
The VGo telepresence robot is a versatile tool that Jacob's Ladder is using in a number of ways including virtual visits. If a child is going through treatments at Riley's, for instance, this VGo robot can go to school for them. Through an app on a laptop or tablet they can log in to the robot and control it and the camera, which has 360 degree views.
The robot can move forward and backward and a picture of the child will show up on the screen so they can interact with their classmates and their teacher. There's also a button the child can push to make a light go on as if a child was raising his or her hand.
"We are proud to offer this technology for children in need here in our communities!" said Jacob's Ladder Director of Development, Candace Arvin
"The robots are most helpful for children who are home or hospital bound although they have a variety of uses," Arvin said. "Typically the robot is used so the child can still participate in school or visit with a physician in a different physical location. Basically the robot acts as the child's eyes and ears (so to speak); they control it using a laptop or tablet for mobility and they can hear/speak/see through the robot's screen and speakers."
Because of the VGo's versatility, it can be used in a variety of applications in pediatrics. A clinician, patient and family members can communicate and interact as if they were in the same room with VGo.
"We have a kid here at the center who is wheelchair bound," said Arvin. "She had had a procedure and wasn't able to sit for several weeks so she couldn't ride in the car, which meant that she couldn't come to therapy. Well, she missed all of her little friends and her therapist. The therapist really wanted to keep her going with an at home program so we're working with her on the VGo so she could log in to that and still speak with the therapist."
"Another way we've thought about using it is with our Spanish speaking population. Our translators are all volunteers so it takes them time to drive to the center for patient appointments to translate. Now, we can allow them to log into the VGo and we can have the VGo, the child and the therapist all in the treatment room together."
VGo has lots of applications including:
In-Home Post Operative Care
Medical Training
Rural Cases
Long Stay Pediatrics
Family Visits
School for home-bound or hospital-bound children
