By LORI FAYBIK, Courier correspondent
June 26, 2008 01:38 pm
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OTTUMWA — Sounds in the halls of Pennsylvania Place might lead visitors to believe that they had added an actual bowling alley to the many amenities. One can hear balls rolling, pins falling and residents cheering as strikes are scored.
However, on closer examination, we find that they have actually added something much better, the virtual reality game, Nintendo’s Wii.
Resident, Roe Kirkland says, “It sounds like a regular bowling alley. It is fun and different, that is what I like about Penn Place. We are all in our eighties and nineties, it is good exercise. There is no criticism or anything, it is just a good group.”
While resident Ellie Vaughn says, “It is the in thing right now. My kids and grandkids like it, they stay up all night doing it.
“It is fun to watch and to cheer them on. It gives us something to be enthusiastic about, good socialization. You can sit or stand, everybody can enjoy it,” she adds.
Bettie Arter says she bought one for her family for a gift, now she wishes she had got one for herself as well. They can be hard to come by.
Jeannine Neary, director of Resident Services, describes the day she got up early to go purchase a Wii for the center, “That was an adventure in itself. Only ten shipped to the store and when I arrived, ten minutes after the store opened, there were only three left.”
Neary says, “The Wii is a great tool in helping to improve balance and motion and that is evident when watching the residents as they bowl with the Wii. It has also provided great social interaction for the residents and it’s amazing to see how competitive this group is. They are having a great time not only at Pennsylvania Place but also at Sylvan Woods. The residents love it!”
Arnold Glaser still makes it out to the real bowling alley, and he enjoys playing Wii, too. He says, “I still love to bowl. I don’t score like I used to, I can’t push that ball out there anymore.”
Wii makes it possible for him to play more like he used to. “It is so realistic, you have pretty much the same troubles here as at the bowling alley,” he says. “It is sort of a challenge to see what you can get. The camaraderie is the main reason I joined the league here.”
Dorothea and Wilson Witten met on the golf course, but also loved bowling years ago. They now enjoy bowling once again at Penn Place. They are very impressed with how realistic the virtual reality game is.
“I’ve been a bowler all my life,” Wilson says. He was a pinsetter as a boy, bowled in major leagues, he was a finalist in the state championships in Kentucky and was a commentator for a TV bowling show.
“I know a little more about bowling than the average person,” he says. “The bowling game has changed so much, not as many people bowl now as they did back in the sixties. The equipment is not the same.”
Wii bowling is more like what he remembers. He says that you need to use the correct form going up to the delivery. “It makes you a better bowler.”
Dorothea, who has Parkinson’s, is hoping her kids will get them a Wii as a gift. “I hadn’t bowled since the sixties,” she says. “This is rather realistic. If you use your regular deliver steps, you get more exercise.”
Thanks to Wii, Carol Taylor has gotten back into bowling, after vision problems prevented her from bowling a regular game.
Pearl Wormhoudt was the only resident so far to try out Wii tennis. She says it is very difficult. However she enjoys the bowling for “exercise, and it is fun.”
The group gets pretty competitive, but all in good fun. Residents with a wide range of abilities are able to jump in there and enjoy a good game of bowling, thanks to Wii.
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