Senior set loves Wii!!

Six seniors at the Sedgebrookretirement community gathered in the lounge after dinner as the holidayseason was getting under way last year. The residents at the center,about 20 miles north of Chicago, were an unlikely test audience for theseason’s hottest toys. The plan: determine which toys to give thegrandchildren for the holidays. The assumption was that they’d givetheir grandchildren the toys they approved.  But it didn’t quite turn out that way.  TheNintendo Wii was so popular that the residents clamored for their own.Today, all of the Erickson chain retirement communities in the US ownat least one Wii.  Other retirement communities and municipal senior centers in recent months have followed, many using wellness grants and public funds to pay for the video-game system. Nintendo scrambled to tap this demographic.  Proponents say the Wii offers a welcome reprieve from a sedentary lifestyle, and boosts   hand-eye coordination among the over-60 set in a way that Bingo and Mahjong can’t.  However,some find that when it comes to the Wii, which retails for about $250,money is less a problem than getting comfortable with the game. Manyretirement communities that purchased the games are encouraginghesitant seniors with tournaments, trophies, and cash prizes. Somecenters are placing their Wiis in high-traffic areas where seniorscongregate, or for the bashful, behind a moveable privacy screen.

Source/more:  Christian Science Monitor, http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1127/p01s05-ussc.html