Forget bingo, Hearthstone Village residents master the Wii

By MIKE NEUMANN
The Independent

It’s been years since some of them have been able to pick up a bowling ball, but thanks to a donation by Cathy Boe, they’re able to bowl once again. During February, Woodstock Christian Life Services planned to collect donations through its “Wii Care” hearts program. The program was designed to raise enough money to purchase a Nintendo Wii video game system, which allows players to interact with games unlike any other video game system.

Cathy, daughter of Hearthstone Village resident Evelyn Boe, heard of the fundraiser and decided to donate the entire Wii system, which uses a special controller that follows players’ movements and translates them to the screen, on her own dime. “We played this at Christmastime,” Evelyn said of the Wii. “It’s just fun and everybody gets interested.”

Evelyn, whose high game in Wii bowling is 182, said she was an avid bowler when she was younger.

Fred Davis, fresh off a game of Wii bowling, watched along with about two dozen others at the facility as residents made their first attempts at Wii golfing. “It’s not as good as real bowling,” Davis said, noting that he was having trouble with his ball hooking. Although it could not replace the real thing, Davis said the more he got involved, the more fascinated he was with the video game.

For Henry Niemeyer, playing Wii baseball took him back to one of his favorite pastimes. The longtime Chicago Cubs fan struck out the first batter he faced in the game, resulting in a thumbs up and huge smile. Speaking through a sign language interpreter, Niemeyer said he played first base in school, and wasn’t a bad hitter. “It was like playing the real thing,” he said. “I really liked it. It was perfect.” Niemeyer said he would probably play Wii baseball the most, but said he would likely practice at bowling, golf and even tennis.

When asked if he was worried about becoming a video game addict, Niemeyer laughed, shaking his head quickly. “Not addicted,” he said, “but I’ll enjoy it.”

Deborah Rabine, director of marketing and fundraising, said the Wii is not just fun and games for Hearthstone residents. “We had been reading a lot of articles about how this works to get (senior citizens) active and up and moving,” she said. “It’s also a good thing because a lot of times the grandchildren teach them, so there’s a lot of interaction.” The Wii also helps to stimulate the brain and keep it active, Rabine said, noting that Woodstock Christian Life Services hopes to eventually have a Wii system in each of its buildings.

“They’re loving it,” Rabine concluded. “They’ve picked it up rather quickly.”