Wii comes to Westwing

Residents of Genesis long-term living center enjoy virtual game

DEWITT, Iowa -- With a remote control in her hand and determination on her face, Darlene Rothbart, 85, steadies her walker in front of a bigscreen T.V. She’s reliving the fun of her former Tuesday night bowling league, without having to throw a 12-pound ball.

Now, the three-time stroke survivor and resident of Westwing Place in DeWitt bowls in the virtual world of Nintendo Wii. Like many of her fellow residents, she’s getting into the swing of the interactive game.

“It’s very addicting. I could do this all day,” says Rothbart, who is from Grand Mound, Iowa. “I haven’t bowled since I had three strokes in the mid-90s.”

Westwing has joined the national craze of long-term living centers using the Wii gaming system to get residents to play a virtual sport they may have stopped playing long ago.

The wonders of Wii came to Westwing as a gift from Virg and Joe Van Dierendonck of DeWitt, who spend their winters in Arizona. The couple saw a story in the media about the game’s growing popularity at retirement homes and decided to send one home. The Van Dierendoncks are supporters of Westwing, which is adjacent to Genesis Medical Center, DeWitt, and also help deliver the hospital auxiliary’s Mobile Meals.

The Van Dierendonck’s gift came about the same time a big-screen T.V. was donated by Diane Marsh, a pharmacist at Genesis, DeWitt and her husband, Tom, who were moving to the West Coast and didn’t want to transport it. The large screen makes Wii’s virtual bowling alley all the more realistic.

“The Wii games really encourage motor skills, balance, hand-eye coordination and a sense of community among our residents,” says Melodie Schutt, Westwing’s activity director, as she applauds a resident who has just bowled a strike. “It doesn’t matter what your skill level is. We’re just here to have a good time and to exercise.”

Schutt adds, “The word is getting out fast that Westwing has a Wii, and we’re more than happy to help if our residents have grandchildren and great-grandchildren visiting who want to use it. We’re also planning to use the Wii when our adopted fifth-grade class comes to visit.”

As a certified Eden Alternative Facility, Westwing is part of a growing movement in long-term care that seeks to eliminate the three plagues of long-term care institutions — loneliness, helplessness and boredom — by creating a vibrant habitat for seniors. The Eden concept, created by New York physician Bill Thomas, M.D., is simple: An enlivened environment — with companion animals, children, plants, spontaneity and the opportunity to care for other living things — can succeed where pills and therapies fail.

Jeff Cooper, Vice President of Operations, Genesis Medical Center, DeWitt, says area residents have embraced the hospital and Westwing. “It’s the heart of the community, and gifts like the Wii and big-screen T.V. bring special touches to Westwing that make all the difference. For example, Guardian Glass donated the glass for our fish tank. Our great staff brings it all together to make Westwing the best nursing home I’ve ever been to.”

An ever-positive Luella Burzlaff of Grand Mound has macular degeneration and can’t see the screen very well. But she tried her hand at Wii anyway. She rolled her wheelchair close and rolled the virtual bowling ball. “I have fun doing games of any kind,” she says. “What’s the difference if I can’t see very well, if I have fun participating?”

Wii also has been incorporated into the Genesis Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation program and is benefiting patients who have had a stroke, traumatic brain injury or who have cerebral palsy.

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