Wii-Hab Rehab On The Gulf Coast

With a steely-eyed focus, 95 year old Louise Annis gives Wii Bowling her best shot. Sometimes it’s a strike sometimes a few pins are left standing.

“Well I like to win if I can,” says Louise. “I do my best, may the best man win.”

These seniors are using the Nintendo Wii console to supplement regular physical therapy. Health care professionals are there to help the patients move and balance.

“It's not so much a task where we say ‘let's do this’ they sort of do it as an automatic response which will incorporate better into their daily living activities,” says Physical Therapist Myra Hall.

The game offers little in the way of physical exhuastion, but it gets patients on their feet and participating.

“It allows to bring in a little fun while we address the balance the strengthening, the range of motion,” says Rehab Program Coordinator Lynette Botha.

The video game in no way replaces traditional therapy. This controller only becomes a carrot on the stick to get some of the patients in here in the first place. What is the most challenging part of doing this?

“Getting out of the room and coming down and doing it, says 70-year-old Roger Kingery.

He says before they got the video game, he would be content with sitting outside for exercise. The Wii is a little bit more of a challenge.

“I'm not very good by the look of it,” laughs Roger.

After the Wii-hab, the seniors resume regular rehab. While they practice getting the blood moving, it's a video game system that has their attention.