Thursday, January 24, 2008
Haven Using Wii Games for Rehabilitation
 It’s a beautiful day on the golf course at the Haven of Our Lady of Peace, a Pensacola nursing home owned by Sacred Hearth Health System and Methodist Homes for the Aging. Residents also can get in a little tennis or bowling, too. These aren’t new facilities at the Haven; they are games in the Nintendo Wii system that some Haven residents and outpatients are using to improve strength, flexibility, balance, and hand/eye coordination.
The game children begged their parents for at Christmas has been re-discovered among physical and occupational therapists as a way to incorporate real exercise in a rehabilitation routine for their patients.
“It gets them up, on their feet and mobilized,” says Paula Knight, physical therapy coordinator at the Haven. “It helps improve their range of motion, too. Since there’s a lot of repetitive movement in the boxing game, that helps their cardiovascular system, too. Nintendo recognizes that their Wii games are being used in rehab facilities and now they are beginning to develop more games for that purpose.”
In the past, one of the Haven’s residents, Alexander Bisceglio, 92, did not look forward to his rehab sessions and would typically wrap up early with his therapist by announcing, “That’s enough, lady!” But since he tried out the Wii golf game, “his face lights up and his whole demeanor changes,” says Paula. “There are no complaints now!”
Once an avid golfer, Alexander has 41 tournament trophies at home. He loves the Wii golf game and usually plays nine holes. Alexander says “it is pretty realistic.” With each swing Alexander made with the golf club-shaped remote, the “player” on the screen responded with the same movement to propel the golf ball down the green.
The Wii system allows players to create three-dimensional caricatured portraits of themselves – called a “Mii” (pronounced “me”) -- to have their same features (hair/eye color, complexion, eyewear style, etc.) and can give the player a name. Alexander’s player is “Al Bicycle” because he says “people can’t pronounce my last name.”
Cathy Knorr, a physical therapist at the Haven says, “The best part about this for me is being part of an exciting new treatment for these patients,” says Cathy.
Martha Perez, Haven Administrator, says the Haven began searching for the game last July. It took several months to locate one, which was installed on Dec. 20. One of the staff members donated the Wii game and the Haven just had to purchase the controls and other components.
The Christian Science Monitor recently reported that retirement communities and senior centers across the country are using wellness grants and public funds to purchase the Nintendo Wii because of the physical benefits of the game system.
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