Veterans get Wii game system

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Click here to enlarge this photo Photo by PATRICK MCGONIGLE Members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2632 recently presented a Wii game system, a Wii Fit system and accessories to the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home. The post also presented the veterans home with a special Sept. 11 flag. Pictured are Mike Evans, post chaplain, left; Scott Senay, post senior vice commander; Dave Mahoney, post commander; Gilbert Wurzbacher, president of the resident council; and Patrick McGonigle, post member and District 1 commander. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

When Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2632 in California recently donated a Wii game system to Charlotte Hall Veterans Home, they were tapping into a national trend that is showing up in veterans homes and rehabilitation centers across the United States.

Using a natural motion, as if they were in a bowling alley or on a tennis court, Wii players use a wireless controller, like a TV remote, that controls the movement of animated figures on a television screen. Players can hit a ball, throw a ball or bat a ball just as if they were physically participating in a game.

R. David Edwards, spokesman for the U.S. Veterans Administration, said the VA has donated Wiis in every nursing home care unit in the country.

"Wiis are part of our recreational program for veterans," Edwards said.

"Many of our residents have limits on their mobility and it is incredible to watch them use a Wii. It is very user-friendly."

Steven Wynn, administrator of the Charlotte Hall facility, said the new Wii will be used for recreation and rehabilitation by the residents.

"We actually have four systems now," he said. "Our patients who use a wheelchair are able to bowl or hit a baseball or even pitch with the Wii system. Even if a patient has limited physical mobility, they can use a Wii. We are grateful that people have donated these systems."

Charlotte Hall Veterans Home, which opened in 1985, is a program of the Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs and is the only veterans home in Maryland. The VA provides a monthly per-diem payment to help offset the cost of resident care.

jmalene@somdnews.com