One thing that began to concern us was the amount of physical activity my elderly parents were getting. My mother is 84 and Dad is not far behind at 82. We found the solution by accident.
Mom and Dad were over for lunch and I was busy in the kitchen when I heard gales of laughter coming from the next room.
I popped my head around the door to find my teenage children and their grandparents playing tennis on the wii.
Mom was in her chair but she was swinging the controller with more vigour than I had seen from her in years. Better yet she had tears of laughter and was clearly enjoying every moment. My Dad was so active I had fears for some of the ornaments around the room. He refused to be convinced he didn't need to run across the room to get to the ball.
I left them so that I could finish lunch and was even more surprised when I returned to find Mom out of her chair and in the middle of a serious ten pin bowling tournament. Not only was she swinging her arm in an arc from her side to above her head, she was also moving forward and dipping down on her right knee. Mom had always enjoyed bowling but the weight of the bowling balls has been too much for her and she now resorts to using a ramp, giving her very little exercise. She was actually moving more exercise with the wii version of the game.
They both "complained" of aching muscles the next day, but they soon recovered and were keen to return. Mom particularly liked the idea of sky-diving on wii resort. She always was a bit of a dare-devil.
I can only highly recommend the wii sports package for keeping your senior relatives active. It's just a fun way to get them stretching and moving. The great thing is it can be played at all levels. Dad has borrowed our machine and enjoys active tennis sessions with a friend who uses a wheelchair. I think it is time to get my parents their own nintendo wii. My teens are missing their console!
