Care home residents host competitive games thanks to their Nintendo Wii

Residents at Wetherby care home, Windsor Court, are staying fit and active thanks to a generous donation from the local community of a Nintendo Wii games console.

Residents at the Sandbeck Way home are now ‘hooked’ to their new console and are taking it in turns with the handheld controls to compete against one another in various games and competitions including virtual tennis, bowling, dance and golf matches.

Domestic Assistant at Windsor Court, Leown Botten, organised the donation and even visited the home during his day off to help set the device up and teach residents how to play.

Leown said:

It was my pleasure to be able to help organise this for our residents.  It was such good fun teaching everybody how to play!  We have set up mini competitions among the residents to see who could set new ‘high scores’. It has given us all a real boost and is a great activity for rainy days.

The games console, which reacts to the players body motion, has been praised by staff at the home for its wellness and fitness capabilities. Players are required to carry out appropriate body actions depending on what they want their character to do, for example whilst playing a game of virtual tennis, residents must swing their arms to mimic holding a racquet.

85 year old resident, Brian Green said, ‘I have been really enjoying playing our new games, I wouldn’t have thought I would have ever be able to play video games, but the Wii is brilliant and so easy to use! I have been loving our tennis and golf matches.’

Home Manager, Paula Mountjoy, said:

I am very grateful for the kind donation of the Wii – It was such a thoughtful idea and the console has really brought our residents together for some fun and games! It has been such a fab way for our residents to get some exercise and it has really brought out some of our residents competitive sides.

Windsor Court, operated by Ideal Carehomes, is a residential care home boasting a luxury cinema room, beauty parlour, convenience store, spacious lounges and landscaped gardens.  Residents at Windsor Court enjoy a full programme of health, leisure and wellbeing activities managed by a dedicated team of carers.