A hope of improving the lives of people with Parkinson’s disease could very well lie in an unlikely source! Over the course of summer, the Medical College of Georgia researched the effects of “Wii-hab” on people with the disease.
18 people were asked to play Wii Sports for an hour a day, three times a week for four weeks. The results have shown that all the participants showed significant improvement in rigidity, movement, fine motor skills and energy levels.
Also shown in the results was that depression levels decreased. It's reported that around half of people with Parkinson's disease also suffer from depression.
While we here at Nintendo Life love the Wii for its innovative controls and fantastic games, we're also proud to see it doing good in the community and improving the quality of life to people who need that more than others.
[source timesonline.co.uk]
Comments 14
And people said video games are bad...
I have an aunt who is a sufferer, and I feel quite bad that I never thought she could've given my Wii a go.
I now know what I have to do!
my best friend has not dug his wii out of the closet since his copy of Scarface got stepped on about a year and a half ago, and his dad was just diagnosed with Parkinson's. i'm sending this to him right away!
"Also shown in the results was that depression levels decreased"
Depression levels always decrease when people play Wii Sports
I'm a healthcare professional and support this notion that the Wii is good for your health and well-being....if played appropriately obviously!
Hey, whatever it takes to improve people's health.
In related news, Dr. Kevorkian recommends playing Karate Phants for an hour a day, three times a week for four weeks.
100% success rate.
I want to laugh, but this is actually serious...
This is pretty cool. I don't know anyone with Parkinson's, though.
The Wii is being used in nursing homes and for rehabilitation all over the world. Nintendo should definitely keep up the momentum on the health one. Roll on The Vitality Sensor, I imagine that too will have practical uses AND be fun for games. Whatever next huh.
Oh, and none of you made a Dr Mario joke?! I'm disappointed, tsk.
Now if only Michael J. Fox can give this a try....
My father has Parkinson's but due to a spinal cord injury his motor skills are severely hampered. Parkinson's is a horrible disease especially in the later stages (my father is in the final stage).
Wii Rocks! Take that Xbox and PS3
haha... wii-hab
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