Nintendo Wii in Occupational Therapy

Namaste · Fresh Boarder Joined: Jun 01, 2008 Posts: 1

I am doing my level 2 fieldword at a SNF. They are currently using the Wii. I have found that it's a great for ROM, standing balance, hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination...to name a few. It's gradable... can play from wheelchair, walker, or standing. You can play with others, or alone. It has it's own settings for beginners to more experienced settings. I played one day to get a feel for it. Had a great time, it was very fun. The next morning I woke up I could feel every muscle in my body! I was actually pretty sore. Patient's time on the Wii needs to be monitored as it would be really easy for them to overdo it.

Tweetytje007

now we have also the wii fit... al patients are enthousiast about it....

Qtwix · Senior Boarder Joined: Jan 27, 2007 Posts: 65

I started a new topic related to the Nitendo Wii.

-> the evidence of the Nitendo Wii will be discussed here:
Evidence of the Nitendo Wii in rehabilitation

slbondoc

I am using the Wii Sports for UE rehab post-stroke. There's an article on the AOTA's PDSIS Quarterly on the topic.

I am also currently using the Wii Fit for balance training and fall prevention in older clients (61 + years).

Both are small research studies that I am currently doing.

evangelin · Fresh Boarder Joined: Jun 17, 2009 Posts: 1

We are actually running on Toronto therapy going research in Canada new psychological processing, spatial functions and many more.

Haina5 · Fresh Boarder Joined: Nov 02, 2009 Posts: 2

It has been said that the Wii can be a useful tool for patients who are in need of physical therapy.

From one website I found the following,
"By improving hand strength and manual dexterity, the Nintendo Wii system has become a useful tool for physical therapists.
Many therapists believe the Wii can help patients build balance, coordination, and endurance as well as upper and lower body strength. Patients find the Wii system a fun way to help achieve their rehabilitation goals. Stay tuned to see if more therapists find the Nintendo Wii a beneficial resource for patients."

So for patients like me, that have PT 3 times a week, and could probably use it more often...Do you think with an Insurance Company would supply this if a prescription is written for it? Also, would this be considered a tax writeoff for me?