New Westminster, BC –

Rehabilitation after suffering a stroke or other debilitating condition can be grueling, but Fraser Health has two new robotic tools it hopes can improve patient outcomes.

It’s all thanks to stroke patient Toan Nguyen, who donated the devices through the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation after benefiting from their use in other facilities.

For upper body work, as of a few weeks ago, patients are now using the ArmeoPower device, which uses virtual reality to simulate real-life activities such as fishing or shopping.

Guillain-Barre patient Linda Mesetovic spoke to CTV News Wednesday at Queen’s Park Care Center, where the two devices are now operational.

She was grateful to use ArmeoPower because it gave her a more active role in her rehab.

“I don’t feel like I’m being thrown and twisted and poked,” Mesetovic said. “Actually, I do that myself, yes. To me, that makes a big difference.”

The second device is called LokoMat.

Stroke patients like Leanne Mork use it to regain balance and mobility.

Patients climb into an exoskeleton suspended over a treadmill, and robotic sensors help them move their legs.

“It’s fun,” Mork told CTV News during an interview Wednesday, fresh off setting a new personal record on the LokoMat in front of our camera. “I hope we can continue to do that.”

Given how physically and mentally demanding physical rehabilitation can be, the fact that the two tools incorporate games is something the staff sees as a benefit.

“Some of the games are very real-life, so things like grocery shopping put our patients more in context, and that really helps build those neural connections again,” said Melanie Mayede, therapist occupational at Queen’s Park.

With LokoMat in particular, the exoskeleton harness allows people to participate in certain physical activities sooner than they might otherwise.

“With the robotic device, we’re able to see low to moderate level patients, where with standard harness patients, they’re more moderate to higher level,” said Luke Plesa, clinical practice leader in physical therapy at Queen’s Park.

And given that the devices are expensive and rare, leaders at the facility are grateful for the donation.

“I can say for sure, if they hadn’t been donated, it would have been very difficult for us to acquire this technology and have it at a Fraser Health site,” said Saba Hena, project leader at Queen’s Park Care Centre.

“We are very grateful to our donor who made this possible.”

While these devices are used in some private facilities, these two pieces of equipment at Queen’s Park are the only ones of their kind available in the BC public system.