Game On

For Dad’s birthday, we bought him a Wii and it’s one of the best things we’ve ever gotten him. Surprisingly, he does really well with the Wii despite his LBD and Parkinsonism symptoms. He mostly enjoys playing the golf, tennis and boxing games.

Dad does well with the golf which surprised all of us. You have to line up your shot using the buttons on the remote and adjust your force for hitting the ball so you have to be steady. I thought Dad wouldn’t be able to do any of this, but with a little help from us, he manages pretty well. In fact, he got a hole in one… he’s that good!

Dad does have some trouble with the bowling game as he can’t get the timing and coordiantion down. To bowl, you have to hold up the remote while pressing a button. While going through the motions as if you were bowling, you must release the button while moving your arm forward. Dad can’t quite get the timing and gets frustrated so we don’t play it that much with him.

Overall, the Wii acts as good exercise for Dad. Although at times it can be frustrating, it does help him work on his coordination, concentration, steadiness and accuracy. When he does well, it makes him happy and boosts his energy level. When all else fails, he enjoys watching Hubby and I play.