Wii bit of therapy, Library program puts video games in new light.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

By Christie Koriakin

Jackson Hole, Wyoming - I remember a time when, after four or five hours of isolated Sonic the Hedgehog thumb workouts, my dad would yell down into the dark basement, “You kids are rotting your brains with those video games.” But as video game systems have become more interactive, the unofficial “rotten brain theory,” popular with so many of my elders in the early video game era has been challenged.

Reputable organizations like the Mayo Clinic released studies showing cognitive, physical and even social benefits of interactive video games like Nintendo Wii. In Jackson Hole, many therapists, caregivers, and community facilitators have embraced these benefits, encouraging new and perhaps unlikely community members to play video games.
 
Every Tuesday, Steve Whisenand, technology education coordinator for Teton County Library, gathers a group of senior citizens for virtual bowling.

“This game is a really fun way to work on hand-eye coordination,” Whisenand said.

“And it’s about friendship, socialization, and a little bit of exercise.”

Watching Betty Chambers and Lois Boggs, two regular bowlers at the Senior Center, go head-to-head, it’s clear that Wii offers more than just a thumb workout.
Hitting an impressive number of strikes and spares, the two swing their arms in long sweeping motions as if rolling a bowling ball down the lane.

“It makes exercise really fun, ” said Becky Zaist, executive director of the Senior Center.

“It’s a more engaging way to work on ... range of motion, stability issues, and transfers.”

After Boggs hit her third strike, she explained that Wii bowling also evokes a little nostalgia because she and her husband were on a bowling team years ago.

“It offers a great alternative to people who used to be avid bowlers, but maybe can’t lift the bowling ball anymore and had to give up the sport,” Zaist said.
With scores generally in the high 100’s, Boggs and Chambers are a competitive pair. 

On that particular day, Boggs narrowly beat out Chambers.
“213!” Boggs yelled out as she practically skipped over to the notebook where the players record their scores each week.

The library also extends the Wii console out to other groups who use the game in different capacities according to their needs. On Thursdays, Whisenand guides a particularly enthusiastic group, adults from the Community Entry Services.

 “For them the program works a lot on social skills and sportsmanship,” said Jen
Henson, a service provider for CES.

Indeed, the mood was friendly, but competitive, as Robbie Marsh, Amy Linn, and Sean Stone battled it out for the title of bowling champion. They yelled out encouragements—“You were robbed on that turn”— and bantered gently with each other, calling each other “turkeys.”

“It can teach about life,” Whisenand said.  “Some days are good days and some are bad days. And it doesn’t always go the way you want it to.”
But this day was a good day for Stone. He won the game and his peers deemed him ‘king of strikes’ for the day.

For Bill Ashley, 87, Wii makes up part of a therapy regimen to recover from a stroke he suffered in 2001. Ashley plays not as a part of the library’s Wii program, but privately in his home. For Ashley, a former cross country ski racer, and also the founder of Teton Vilage Sports,  the loss of motor function was particularly frustrating, considering his history of athleticism.

“I know what I’m supposed to do,” Ashley said, “but sometimes it doesn’t happen. I know how to hold onto a ski pole, but my left hand just won’t do it.”
Eight years and lots of progress later, Ashley is able to walk and even swim and ski (minus the left pole), and Wii has played an important role in his recovery.

“It helps with my reactions and it helps me move my feet and arms at the same time,” he said.

“That’s what we call bilateral coordination—moving the left and right side of the body or connecting the top and the bottom,” chimed in Kelli Jones, Ashley’s recreational therapist.

It was Jones who suggested that Ashley buy a Wii console for his home. She has been using the video game system as a therapy tool since Wii’s inception in 2006, with modified purposes and difficulty levels.

“I use it as a reward or as a way to encourage team building and cooperation and attention skills for younger children,” Jones said.

“For Bill, we use it to help improve muscle movement and short term memory.”
She explained that the game also has the added benefit of helping Ashley connect to his children and grandkids who like to play the game with him.

“It’s a good healthy way to bring people together,” Jones said. JHW

Photo: Bill Ashley plays Wii with his recreational therapist, Kelli Jones. by Christie Koriakin

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