Thursday’s Science Daily website posted an article about the effects of playing Nintendo Wii on people who have Parkinson’s disease.  Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disease that impairs motor skills. 

Dr. Ben Herz of the Medical College of Georgia conducted an eight-week pilot study where 20 Parkinson’s patients spent an hour playing the Wii three times a week for four weeks. 

According to the article:

“Participants showed significant improvements in rigidity, movement, fine motor skills and energy levels. Perhaps most impressively, most participants’ depression levels decreased to zero.”

The article concludes:

“Game systems are the future of rehab,” Dr. Herz says. “About 60 percent of the study participants decided to buy a Wii for themselves. That speaks volumes for how this made them feel.””

The idea that people who suffer from Parkinson’s disease can enjoy themselves by playing Wii and at the same time improve their symptoms is fantastic.  Our local senior center also has a Wii that seniors can use during their time at the center.  This is definitely a situation where something designed to be fun actually has another really valuable use.