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Job seekers nab Wii from retirement home
You can't get much lower than this. A retirement home in Ottawa, Ohio, was recently robbed for its Wii. Two women walked into the retirement home, seeking job applications, but ended up leaving with more than a job. They nabbed the home's Wii console. As one might imagine, the folks at the home enjoy playing Wii Sports, particularly the Bowling and Baseball games. Thankfully, this story has a happy ending. Several of the home's inhabitants were able to identify the two women, and police were able to track them down and recover the Wii. See also: Children's home robbed, local businessman replaces stolen Wii
Wii Fit already carving up bods, finding use in rehabilitation
From the get-go, Nintendo's latest console was seen as a dream come true for folks who'd love to lose a few pounds, yet would rather log a few hours on the couch rather than the track. Shortly after the Wii Fit's launch, we're already seeing another wave of dedicated users reporting weight loss, and the trend is even bleeding into the medical field. According to Sue Stanley-Green, a professor of athletic training at Florida Southern College, the Wii Fit and other fitness-related games have "great potential for core strengthening and rehabilitation and may boost compliance with rehabilitation exercises." She also noted that these games were "being used more and more in nursing homes," and particularly with youngsters, titles such as Wii Fit are the only ones that stand a chance at getting them active. We can't decide if that's a positive thing or just downright depressing.[Thanks, Juergen]Read - Wii Fit in rehabRead - Wii Fit weight loss
Wii stolen from retirement home, happy holidays everyone
Ah the holidays. A time of joy, cheer, charity, and theft. Yes, theft. We all know that senior citizens love the Wii. That's why residents of the Lilac Plaza Retirement Community home in Spokane, Washington sold some recipe books in order to make enough money to buy one for themselves. After having the system for only one month, however, someone stole it. The seniors, who said they enjoyed the Wii because it was fun and kept them active, were worried that they wouldn't find the funds or opportunity to replace the system. Fear not, though, this story isn't a total downer. GoNintendo's own RawmeatCowboy is planning to replace the stolen system for the folks at the home. At least this sad tale will have a happy ending.[Via GoNintendo]
Japanese seniors shun their robotic overlords
According to reports out of Tokyo, Japanese senior citizens are being turned off when robots get switched on. Ifbot, a helper-robot at a Japanese nursing home which can converse, sing, express emotions, quiz seniors, and perform mercy killings (okay, that last one isn't true), has apparently not been a hit with the elderly residents. "The residents liked Ifbot for about a month before they lost interest," says Yasuko Sawada, the Kyoto-based facility's director, adding, "Stuffed animals are more popular." The news backs up what University of Tokyo geriatric social worker Ruth Campbell says, "Most (elderly) people are not interested in robots. They see robots as overly-complicated and unpractical." Apparently, Japanese electronics-makers have been scrambling to produce robotic assistants for the nation's elderly (which will make up 40-percent of its population by mid-century), but the seniors have been shunning the overly complex companions. This comes as no surprise to us, of course, as our grandparents have been complaining about the "picture radio" for decades.
Nintendo's Wii continues to be a smash with seniors
We know that Nintendo's Wii has been a massive hit with families, but we've also noticed a growing trend with the physically-interactive game system that is honestly a bit of a surprise -- apparently, senior citizens can't put their Wiimotes down. Similar to stories we've seen before, the UK's gossip rag The Sun is reporting that seniors at the Sunrise Home in Birmingham, UK, have taken to the console like super-old fish to water. The pensioners at the institution have been engaging in knock-down, drag-out contests in Wii Sports -- playing tennis, boxing, and bowling with a cut-throat competitiveness not seen since the Dark Ages. Barrie Edgar, 88, one of the home's residents said, "It's great fun. We've only had it a few days but we can't put it down." Mr. Edgar then glanced at Tilda Montgomery, another Sunrise Home occupant and exclaimed, "Prepare to be pwned, you old bird."[Thanks, Arnar]
Nintendo's Wii a hit with the geriatric set?
No, we don't expect the vast majority of elderly folks kickin' it in a retirement home to honestly show any interest in video games (right?), but apparently, the Wii's at least making some minor strides in getting the geriatric set up and active with virtual sports. While we assume those suffering from lingering hip injuries are apt to join the (admittedly quiet) cheerleading section, a group of athletic 70-somethings from Sedgebrook retirement community are "hooked on Wii Sports," with bowling being the unanimous favorite. The response has been so positive that the locale is actually cranking up a 20-person tournament for an undisclosed reward, and while the residents have often commented about how "realistic" the Wiimote was in tossing the ball, the community actually has a fan for folks to dry their hands off before rolling a strike -- which is probably a smart move considering the potentially fatal injuries that could occur from slippage. Still, an isolated incident of fun-lovin' grandparents getting their game on isn't apt to convince us that the next big gaming market is in retirees, and honestly, how many elderly folks rushed out to snag a Wii for the grandchild, and ended up keeping it for themselves?[Via DailyTech, thanks Randall B]
