Streamway staff using Wii to engage residents
Video game system ‘new age of geriatric entertainment’
Wednesday April 23, 2008 -- Deron Hamel
Staff members at Streamway Villa are discovering that video games are excellent tools for bringing residents together.

Using money from the entertainment fund at the Cobourg long-term home, staff members purchased a Nintendo Wii along with a 47-inch, high-definition television April 13.

Using a video game system to engage residents was the brainchild of restorative care aide Lynette Sandercock. Sandercock got the idea after attending a 50th birthday celebration where partiers were playing with a Wii.

After seeing how receptive people were to the video games, Sandercock decided Streamway Villa should look into getting a system to engage residents.

Since putting the video game system in the home’s dining room residents have been using the Wii continuously, says life enrichment co-ordinator Denise Ansell.

Ansell, who describes the Wii as the “new age of geriatric entertainment,” says residents are particularly enjoying the sporting games, such as golf, bowling and boxing. Often, residents are pairing-up with one another to play the games, she adds.

The atmosphere creates a culture of camaraderie, as well as competitiveness, she adds.

Ansell says the Wii is also proving to be a valuable engagement tool for bringing residents and staff members together. When a resident and a staff member sit down to play against each other, there’s always an audience, she notes.

Sandercock has seen first-hand the spirit of teamwork the video games have brought out in residents.

One resident at the home has had a stroke and only has mobility in her right arm. The resident enjoys the boxing video game. To ensure she can play the game, another resident always teams up with her play.

The Wii is also beneficial to residents with cognitive impairment, says Sandercock.

“They see all the action going on and they can see what’s happening on the screen,” she says. “Even if they can’t play they can see the interaction.”

Do you have a story you would like to share about innovative ideas in resident care? If so, please contact deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

If you have feedback on this story, please call the newsroom at (800) 294-0051 or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.