Nintendo Wii Therapy Featured on Fox 13 News
'What's Right With Tampa Bay' Program
The following news coverage was featured on Fox 13 News "What's Right With Tampa Bay" program September 9, 2008. Click here to go to the Fox 13 website to view the story. Click here for a PDF copy of the press release.
Nintendo... Not Just Child’s Play Anymore
PRNewsChannel/Largo, Florida – It’s not just about playing cards anymore. The seniors at Regal Palms, an assisted living facility in Largo, are trying their hand on Nintendo’s Wii. It may seem like just fun and games. But there is actually more going on.
It’s therapy.
“It helps them improve their hand-eye coordination,” says Tara Lanzer, ADC, lifestyle coordinator at Regal Palms. “They’re also exercising their brain as well as their body.”
But that doesn’t mean they aren’t having fun. In fact, Lanzer says the men, in particular, have gotten quite competitive while playing the simulated boxing match.
The experience draws a crowd, too.
“The residents really participate as the audience especially when a player knocks out their opponent,” Lanzer says. “We have one resident who’s 90. He’s unsteady on his feet but loves to play the boxing game.”
The Nintendo is also a hit at “Our Place,” the secured Alzheimer’s care unit at Regal Palms.
“It was an activity that was scheduled for one hour that ended up lasting nearly twice that,” says Tammy M. Dunlap, ADC, program coordinator for the memory care unit. “My residents really enjoyed it.”
Dunlap says the residents were amazed by the technology and really built camaraderie. She says they took turns bowling and playing golf.
“They were rooting each other on and there was a lot of laughter in our room,” says Dunlap. “It's a great way to get exercise, share fellowship and just have a fun time.”
“There were comments like, ‘What will they come up with next,’ ‘This is amazing,’ and "can we play this again tomorrow,’” she recalls.
Sure, the makers of Nintendo may have created the games for people a quarter their age, but who cares? After a lifetime of working hard, they’re having fun.
