By Tammy Daniels - April 13, 2008 iBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN — When Ella Nary died at the age of 94 in January, her family wanted to do something to show their appreciation for the care she'd received at Sweet Brook Care Centers and for the many friends she'd made there.
They met with the staff at the nursing and rehabilitation center, who had a Wii on their wish list. But what was a Wii?
Hard to believe there's anyone who hasn't heard about the Japanese gaming system that allows people to virtually play a wide variety of games.
The Nintendo gaming system is unique in that players mimic the moves you'd use actually playing the real sport. And that has made the Wii an increasingly popular tool with therapists and other health care professionals because it promotes motility and focus.
"If you bowl, you swing your arm like you're bowling ... if you box, you use the move your arms like boxing," said activities coordinator Fern Tucker, as she demonstrated the movements from various sports and games.
More than two dozen elderly residents watched at a "Wii Party" on Thursday as a few of their fellows showed how the game works at a "Wii Party."
Tucker said about a half dozen residents have been using the game system over the past month. The party was to introduce the system to the others and to recognize the Nary family's donation. The hope was that more residents might be interested in giving the games a try.
"I've been coming here nearly every day for 7 1/2 years. I got to know a lot of people here," said Nary's daughter Claire Putman, who attended the party with her mother-in-law, Margaret Putman, who had been a friend of her mother's.
When the staff mentioned the Wii, she and her sister, Shirley Nary of Alabama, conferred with their husbands and grandchildren and decided donate one to the facility. But it wasn't that easy.
The gaming system has been out for more than year but supplies haven't been keeping up with demand. Putman said a relative in Texas finally tracked one down — paying more than retail to get it — and had it shipped to Massachusetts.
The system seemed to be appreciated by residents and staff alike; even those uninterested in playing were watching the games being played on the big screen.
Despite being wheelchairbound, Owen Morris, 65, was able to play baseball and golf by swinging the wireless remote controller to hit or whack a ball over a playing field to the cheers of his audience.
Putman, a registered nurse at Williamstown Medical Associates, said "I know how valuable this can be ... it would help their coordination, it would help their muscle development and it would help preserve their dignity as well as their self-worth."
Editor: Claire Putman's and Ella Nary's names were written incorrectly in the following video. A correction will be made as soon as possible.
