Controller in hand, 97-year-old Ruthie Cooper turns away from the TV set displaying the Nintendo Wii bowling game at a Jewish senior center in Phoenix.
Wii (pronounced “Wee”) is an interactive video-game system where participants must make a motion similar to what they are trying to accomplish in the game — for example, a Wii bowler has to pretend he is rolling a ball; a Wii golfer must act as if he is swinging a club.
“I’m going to do this one backwards,” Cooper announces to the other women present.
Still not looking at the TV, Cooper whips her arm forward in a bowling motion as her follow-through brings her arm up over her head. She rolls an eight, and finishes with a 148. Minnie Unger ends up winning with a score of 200.
“You don’t have to be skilled,” Cooper says. “You just have to stand yourself in the right place and swing your arm. But it takes time and you throw off some energy, or at least pretend you do. And it’s a form of exercise to some extent, because instead of sitting around, you’re standing.”
And moving.
“It keeps them active,” says Gloria Stein, a volunteer at the Center for Senior Enrichment, a Jewish Family and Children’s Service program held at Beth El Congregation in Phoenix.
Stein says that since last summer, about three to six women play Wii on any given day.
“It’s something for them to do and it’s a form of exercise,” she says.
Bowling is hands-down the most popular game — the center also offers Wii tennis, golf and baseball, but none of the regulars have shown interest in them, Stein says.
“I don’t see any of the women [Wii] boxing either, but I can see where anyone using that form of exercise would be terrific. We would all probably end up on the floor somewhere,” she jokes.
Cooper says that the video games also serve as a form of socializing, but seniors’ use of new technology goes beyond the Wii.
Sherrill Moore, a resident at a assisted-living and independent senior living community near Phoenix, uses Facebook to view pictures of her newest family member.
Similarly, many seniors are using Skype — an Internet-based telephonelike application — to communicate with friends and family around the globe. With specialized but relatively inexpensive video-camera equipment that hooks up to the computer, participants can even see the person they are talking to in real time.
In addition to these technologies, many senior facilities are making other technologies available to their residents.
It’s Never 2 Late is an interactive computer program that allows seniors to surf the Web, check e-mail, play games and read the news using a touch screen and trackball (a keyboard and mouse are optional). Additionally, residents can have their own individualized homepage, which is password protected and can be personalized.
“[Residents] can have music, they can have pictures, they can have newspapers from their hometown, they can have games they like, and it’s specifically for them because they picked it,” says Ira Shulman, CEO at the Kivel Campus for Care in Phoenix.
He says seniors at his facility typically spend 30 to 45 minutes at a time on It’s Never 2 Late.
Another popular item for seniors is Dakim BrainFitness, a computer game that works to improve seniors’ cognitive skills in a number of areas.
“Our seniors love [the programs],” Shulman says. “People in their 80s and 90s who have never used a computer sit down at the computer, and although somewhat tentative in the beginning, realize how easy it is and come day after day.”
Charles Schlang, 89, who has taught religious school at a Scottsdale synagogue since 1998, readily admits “I’m not adept at computers.” He pauses for a moment, and his wife, Dorothy, chimes in with her two cents.
“My wife says I’m good, though,” he quickly adds.