Wii Video Game as a Tool to Help Alzheimer’s Victims

Wii a nintendo product video game is proving a very popular way for young and old to get a light weight workout and share some time with friends and family. The good news for Alzheimer’s invloved families is that it may be a useful aid for people with the disease.

This game is different than most video games because it uses a motion-sensitive tracking device that requires users to swing a baseball bat or roll a bowling ball. So rather than being sedentary, players get a some of exercise as they simulate playing actual sports like baseball, tennis and golf. The level of play can also be adjusted to accommodate the abilities of users.

"The Wii has become a really new and unique thing for seniors to get involved with, and it is really because of the simplicity of use," said one retirement home staff member . He went on "It’s hand-eye coordination, visual stimulation and works as various forms of therapy. If they are in their wheelchair, it gets them excited, gets them enthralled into something that maybe they didn’t do before. They are not just sitting there watching something; they are actually engaged."

Studies show a typical person in a care home suffering with dementia could spend as little as two minutes a day interacting with other residents,sad but true.

"There’s some worth in looking at Nintendo Wiis and other activities that give people a sense of purpose and joy in the day," a British authority syas "If you are giving people something to do it really increases their sense of value." The games have been employed at various senior care centers there, and the British government is expanding the program to others. this of course will have to be an undertaking of individuals and their families here in the united States where we do not enjoy national health care as is the case in European countries.

Some care facilities like the one make the Wii available like the Silverado Senior Living Center in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., which provides assisted living for those with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, Wii golf, bowling,baseball and tennis are proving to be very popular among residents. An administrator there said "What our residents are doing with the Wii is a wonderful example of how much capacity and ability people with memory impairment have,” Ms. Shaw said. “It’s so important for the world to understand this and to help each person with memory disorder live to his or her full potential."

The Wii games also provide light physical exercise, which studies show may be beneficial for the brains of those with Alzheimer’s. The video games are just one of many various activities that have been shown to be of much benefit for people with Alzheimer’s, or those wishing to keep the disease at bay .Included in those activities are pet therapy,music, cooking and gardening .