A Wii bit of fun keeps seniors young at heart
By Carissa Marsh cmarsh@theacorn.com

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers ADDRESSING THE PINS- Vintage Simi Hills resident John Larmour, 81, plays a game of bowling on a Nintendo Wii June 26 with the help of Vintage staff member Debbie Hawes, left, and volunteer Amanda Hawes, 17, in Simi Valley. Once a week residents gather to play video games like bowling and golf for about an hour. In the background, other residents watch the proceedings.

Eighty-one-year-old John Larmour focused his eyes on the 10 pins standing in front of him, visualizing a strike.

His challenge clear, he pulled his motorized wheelchair into place, reared back his arm and tossed the ball down the lane.

Only 3 pins fell.

"Where's the quilting club?" Larmour responded, unimpressed with the results. "I'm going to have to go to that next."

The action took place not in a local bowling alley but in the activities room of Vintage Simi Hills, a retirement community in Simi Valley, which recently aquired the Nintendo Wii, a video game system that works by re-creating the motions of the game players.

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers GOING FOR A FOUR-BAGGER- Vintage Simi Hills resident Bruce Yarborough, 87, lines up a shot while playing Wii bowling. Yarborough, who got four strikes in a row, said it's all in the wrist.

On a recent Thursday, the designated weekday for playing Wii, a group of seniors sat in a semicircle facing the television to watch Larmour and Bruce Yarborough, 87, battle it out, pin for pin, in a bowling match.

Bowling is one of several sports simulations offered by the game system- generally more popular with those in their teens and 20s than those in their 70s and 80s- that also includes golf, baseball and tennis.

Caregiver Heather De La Rosa said the Vintage Simi Hills residents look forward to their weekly gaming ritual, which lasts for about an hour and a half.

"A lot of our residents can't go out and bowl, so this brings it to them," she said.

De La Rosa said the game keeps seniors like 90-year-old resident Winnie Snell physically and socially active.

"It's lots of fun," said Snell, whose strong arm got her an easy strike. "It gives me exercise that I wouldn't otherwise get."

The assisted-living facility added Wii to its schedule of activities four months ago after Larmour saw it on "60 Minutes" and asked activities director Melissa England to get one.

De La Rosa, together with fellow caregiver Debbie Hawes, whose children play Wii at home, taught the seniors how to work the controls.

The cowboy-hat-wearing Yarborough, who knocked down four strikes in a row during his match, said it's all in the wrist. And it has to be, because he can barely see the TV screen.

Both Yarborough and Larmour have severely limited vision. Yarborough said the game is still beneficial.

"You're exercising your eyesight," he said. "You learn to coordinate your hand with your eye."

Yarborough and Larmour prove that anyone can play Wii.

"It's great because even if you have disabilities, if you can't see or stand, you can still play," England said. "That's the beauty of it."

Hawes said the game makes the seniors feel like athletes.

"People who didn't think they could do it, because they are on oxygen, they are doing it," she said, adding that the seniors can be very competitive.

But it is friendly competition, as fellow residents help each other and cheer each other on.

The game keeps them feeling young, and the virtual sports bring back memories for the seniors.

"I haven't bowled for almost 50 years," Snell said, "so it's fun to get back to it again."

On this particular day, Yarborough edged out Larmour for the win, but there were no hard feelings.

Vintage Simi Hills, at 5300 E. Los Angeles Ave., has about 150 rooms, with 88 residents currently in its assisted-living program and 25 in its Recollections program, which is for seniors with dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

The facility was taken over by new management in March, but aside from building beautification not much has changed, England said.

"Our No. 1 concern is the residents, and that has always been our No. 1 goal," England said.

"We try to always keep the residents happy."

For more information, visit www.vintagesenior.com.