CARE HOME RESIDENTS PROVE WII’S ATTRACTION AS RECORD SALES ARE ANNOUNCED

As Nintendo announced this week Wii sales had reached 50 million, a Southeast care home proved its popularity has spread far beyond the traditional teen boy audience of games consoles.

Avril Landess, 82, and Eileen Clarke, 78, are pictured going head-to-head on the Wii at their Canford Healthcare home in East Sussex.

Inglewood, in Hampden Park, Eastbourne, introduced the Wii to by-pass the logistics of how to get a group involved in a cross-ability activity.

Activities coordinator Paula Brooks said: “Now the ladies are getting used to it, it’s going very well. When we first got it out they weren’t really sure about it at all. So we gently encouraged people to come and try it. Now we have got a few who are pretty good.

“They can sit down if they want to and still be involved, they get their arms moving. We have quite a few people who use wheelchairs but if they can use their arms, this is good for them too.”

The Wii is now the fastest-selling games console in history, surpassing the PlayStation 2. It has other benefits for this age group, as hand-eye co-ordination can help prevent falls and the Wii helps keep the brain stimulated as well as providing physical exercise.

Barry Lambert, Director of Inglewood Nursing Home and of Canford Healthcare Plc, said: "We can talk about residents needing interesting activities to keep them healthy and fulfilled but seeing it in action brings home just how important it is to them."

Age Concern’s statistics state that only 18% of people aged 65 to 74 and 6% of people aged 75 and over are physically active at a level which is recommended to maintain good health. Of the overall population, 33% are active to the recommended level of 30 minutes exercise per day.

Residents having fun using the wii

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