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Ninety-year-old Jean Kennison is back on the tennis courts. This time she’s swinging a racket on a virtual court in the physical therapy department of Mariners Hospital not the courts of Panama where she played as a young woman.
Ms. Kennison, an Islamorada resident, broke her hip a few months ago and needed therapy to help her regain her balance. As a good sport, she was willing to be one of the first Mariners physical therapy patients to use the Nintendo video game system, Wii Sports, as part of her rehabilitation regimen.
“I have to admit before I started playing tennis on Wii, I considered physical therapy drudgery,” Ms. Kennison said. “Now, I look forward to coming in. My game’s improving and so is my balance.”
That difference in attitude is one reason why the physical therapy team introduced Wii into the Mariners arsenal of tools, according to Lisa Paskewich, staff physical therapist. “This new component of our program provides stimulus and some excitement,” she said. “When patients get involved and engaged, they don’t consider therapy hard work.
“The type of therapy prescribed for a patient varies depending upon the illness or injury and differs from patient to patient,” Ms. Paskewich said. “One thing most therapies have in common, though, is that they demand considerable effort from the patient. Wii Sports makes therapy a little less onerous, a little more fun. When people can refocus their attention from the tediousness of the physical task, oftentimes they do much better.”
Ms. Paskewich noted rehabilitation with Wii is definitely not a substitute for traditional tools such as the stationary bike, treadmill and leg press. Rather, it is an additional tool patients, like Ms. Kennsion, can use to help regain balance, strength and stability as well as improve hand-eye coordination and increase motor skills.
Those who can benefit from using Wii as part of their rehabilitation include stroke patients; people with injuries to shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, hip, knee, ankle, foot; people who have suffered traumatic brain injuries; and Parkinson’s patients.
“When we can find a way to make physical therapy fun so that patients look forward to coming to therapy and they achieve their goals a little faster, that’s success.” Ms. Paskewich said.
The physical therapy department will soon ad Wii Fit to the program. Wii Fit is especially helpful for patients who need to improve their balance.
Mariners Hospital is part of Baptist Health, the area’s largest faith-based, not-for-profit healthcare organization. Baptist Health also includes Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, South Miami Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute and Baptist Outpatient Services. Baptist Health Foundation, the organization's fundraising arm, supports services at all hospitals and facilities affiliated with Baptist Health.
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