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Adaptive Game Carts

Simple pleasures that many take for granted -- like watching a movie or playing a video game -- can make a world of difference to someone who is immobile, someone confined to a hospital bed, someone with empty hours to fill waiting for the next medical procedure. Cause game carts are an adjustable adaptive recreation tool which allow our wounded warriors the simple pleasure of being able to play video games from their own bed with minimal movement necessary. The Cause game carts bring the gift of fun and relaxation to the hospital bedside of a wounded warrior or into the waiting rooms of VA hospitals.  

Where Are They Offered?

Cause currently provides Game Carts at the following locations:

Audie L. Murphy Hospital PTRP (San Antonio, TX)

Brooke Army Medical Center (San Antonio , TX)

Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center (Richmond, VA) 

John D. Dingell VA Medical Center (Detriot, MI)

Washington DC VA Medical Center (Washington D.C.)

Womack Army Medical Center (Fort Bragg, NC)


C-DEL (Cause Digital Entertainment Library)

Cause's C-DEL ("movie cart") program provides wounded warriors and their caregivers free and easy access to a comprehensive selection of DVDs and video games as they are recuperating in military hospitals.  Often the only source of free entertainment on military posts, the C-DEL is one of the most popular Cause programs.

Since the first C-DEL branch opened at Walter Reed in 2005, over 330,000 lending transactions have been recorded. 

How Does it Help?

In addition to being popular entertainment, video games also have therapeutic value. Recent studies have shown that playing video games can activate the parasympathetic nervous system and reduce heightened tension related to stress. There is even research showing that playing Tetris, a puzzle video game, may reduce PTSD flashbacks. The greatest value of our C-DEL program, however, lies in the interaction that occurs between wounded warriors and the members of the local community who volunteer to staff it. 

Where is it Offered?

Cause currently has C-DELs set up in the following locations:

  • Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (Bethesda, MD)
     
  • Balboa Naval Medical Center (San Diego, CA)
     
  • Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (Landstuhl, Germany)

You can view our online catalog here.