Maine news, sports, weather | Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine

Wii bit of fun: Seniors catch gaming bug

By Mechele Cooper mcooper@centralmaine.com
Staff Writer

Charlton Runnels was a newbie to Wii bowling.

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Phillip Hitt handles a Nintendo Wii control after bowling a spare on the video game at the Maine Veterans' Home in Augusta. Residents of several nursing facilities play the game for fun and therapy.

Staff photo by Andy Molloy

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He's been playing the Nintendo video game for a week as part of his physical therapy.

The 89-year-old fell and broke his hip. For the past six weeks, he has been in physical therapy at the Maine Veterans' Home in Augusta.

Bridge games have been abandoned and the crossword page thrown in the trash. Residents in elderly-care facilities are now opting for more physical means of entertainment.

The Nintendo Wii game system is all the craze at senior centers and assisted-living facilities in central Maine. The easy-to-use wireless controller converts a player's motions onto a television screen. Observers say it helps the elderly exercise and socialize and can improve hand-eye coordination and memory.

Runnels recently sat in his wheelchair and aimed a shot at a simulated bowling alley on screen in the activities room.

His physical therapist, Ed Patterson, cheered him on.

"You might do it," Patterson said. "OK, buddy. This is your last frame."

Runnels swung his hand back then forward just as he would a bowling ball, then let go of the trigger to release the ball.

He knocked down three pins, but it wasn't enough to win the game. His opponent, fellow resident Phillip Hiitt, beat him, 133-132.

"I've never bowled," said Runnels, of Fairfield. "This is the first time. It's more challenging to stand up and do it. It's quite something."

Wii provides an opportunity for seniors to participate in sports they once enjoyed in their everyday lives, but in the "virtual" world.

Runnell, who enlisted in the Air Corps in World War ll, played baseball and basketball as a youth. Patterson said Wii games have helped him transfer from a sitting position to a standing position, and to gain balance.

"He's increasing his leg strength and also working on his coordination when he releases the trigger," Patterson said. "Also, it makes therapy fun. (Patients) look forward to it."

Hiitt, 77, formerly of Auburn and resident of the veterans' home, served in the Army during the Korean War. He has been playing games on Wii for more than a year.

"It gets you out and moving around," Hiitt said. "We have single rooms, and it's nicer than just sitting around in the rooms watching television."

Jodie Gallagher, activities director for residential care at the veterans' home, said it takes some time for patients to learn how to use the remote, but once they get the hang of it, they love it.

Jeff Roosevelt, director of public relations and marketing at the senior center, said Wii is used in all the inpatient units at the five Maine Veterans' Homes for recreation, as well as for physical therapy.

In addition to bowling, he said Wii users can simulate golf, tennis, baseball and boxing.

For example, Wii Tennis requires players to swing their controls as if they were holding a racquet. The golf game works in a similar way.

Nintendo reported that, by March 2009, 50 million Wii Sports, Wii Play and Wii Fit programs have been sold worldwide. And now the craze is taking hold in retirement communities and nursing homes across the country.

At the Captain Lewis Residence in Farmingdale, for example, residents can use Wii anytime they want. Once or twice a week, activities director Tara Strout schedules group games.

"Anyone who wants to play then can, or if they just want to look on," Strout said. "We have a lot who watch and give pointers and cheer us on as we go."

Country Manor Nursing Home activities director Janet Emery has held fundraisers and raffles, put on talent shows and sold cookbooks to raise money to buy a 32-inch TV and the Wii gaming console that's being installed at the senior center in Coopers Mills this week.

The console costs about $200, but she said she got it on eBay for $165.

She said seniors will get 1-on-1 training on the console, then be able to play on their own or join a group.

Along with entertainment, Emery said the games help patients improve endurance, strength, balance and coordination.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of U.S. adults 65 and older fall each year. But Emery said Wii exercise programs can increase strength and improve balance.

"I thought it would good exercise for residents and good for their minds," Emery said. "There's a lot of nice games they can play. There's bowling, and they've got golf and tennis. They like to bowl, and I can't always take them to the bowling alley because of the weather."

In Wii bowling, the player bowls with a remote device that weighs no more than a box of tissues. Virtual bowling can even be played while seated by those who have trouble standing for long periods of time or who are confined to wheelchairs.

Medical College of Georgia researchers also are looking at whether playing Wii games can maintain or increase motor skills in patients with Parkinson's disease.

The Alzheimer's Society recently awarded a grant to study Wii-Fit for improving activity, gait and balance for people with Alzheimer's disease.

Instead of beano, senior-care facilities are looking "outside the box" at activity programs that are fun and refreshing, according to Karen Douin, activities director at MaineGeneral Rehabilitation & Nursing Care at Glenridge in Augusta.

Douin said her facility has a Wii console for many of the sports games, including Mario Kart Wii, a racing game.

"Anytime you have someone in a cognitively impaired population retain skills they learned in the past is awesome," Douin said. "We have one lady who is plays Mario Kart and is driving the car.

"She's pretty passive. She has a hearing deficit that causes her to use a headpiece. Her facial expressions are pretty plain. They're just there. But when she's playing that game and is competing, her face lights up. It's a success story. The quality of life it brings to people who participate is enormous."

Laurel Cargill Radley of the American Occupational Therapy Association said therapists are using Wii quite a bit.

"They're used quite widely in therapy, not only occupational but in physical therapy and with therapeutic recreation specialist as well," Cargill Radley said. "We're pleased to be able to use them to simulate day-to-day activities people engage in. So, if someone used to play tennis and is now having issue with balance conditions that may be causing some disability, they're still able to engage in a satisfying leisure activity thanks to Wii and its different programs."

She said there are tips for using Wii and other virtual gaming programs on the organization's Web site, www.aota.org.

Cynthia Bell, assistant professor and academic fieldwork coordinator of occupational therapy at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, conducted a study examining the effects of Wii bowling on the lives of senior citizens.

The October 2009 study looked at whether Wii bowling affects the participants' quality of life and social skills, and gives them confidence to prevent falls. The results of the study will be released sometime this month.

At the Augusta Rehabilitation Center, the video game is being used in treating patients recovering from stroke, broken bones and surgery. The different Wii games require body movements similar to traditional therapy exercise.

Rosemary Thayer, activities director at the center, said she has found residents in the center's skill unit who come straight from the hospital are the ones who enjoy Wii games the most.

"The ones who have been here long-term have greater deficiencies in their ability and cognitive and forms of dementia," Thayer said. "Its use is according to what the clientele is that we have here. We've had leagues that have gone on a month and they really love it, then it will die down a little bit. We've found it very, very beneficial."

The gamers stand, use walkers and are in wheelchairs.

And then there's always a groups of residents cheering them on, who enjoy watching as much as playing.

As "first lady" of the Gardiner Elks Lodge, Thayer said her organization -- along with the Fraternal Order of Eagles and American Legion -- actually have leagues that compete in Wii bowling tournaments.

"So it's expanding to all ages," she said.

Mechele Cooper -- 623-3811

mcooper@centralmaine.com