Wii-hab

Today I want to talk about this new rehabilitation program Wii-hab! Yup that’s right Wii- hab (isn’t it such a cute name!). Wii-hab was introduced in 2008 as a device to help with physical and occupational therapy programs as well as being known as an entertainment device. A more specific definition is “ the medical application of interactive video gaming devices to augment therapies of physical, cognitive, behavioral, and otherwise, under the guidance of a trained and licensed healthcare professional”.  

The first person to discover the resourcefulness of Wii in 2008 was a man named Bryce Taylor who implemented Wii into his physical therapy program. Realizing the great benefits this gaming device can have for the patient, he has spent the last couple of years studying Wii-hab and learning how the game affects different areas of patients who are receiving different types of therapy.

The public though should maintain the view that Wii-hab is not a replacement for therapy but it is merely used to enhance therapeutic ways because there are still many limitations of virtual reality.

Since Motion based video games have been available to society for the past couple of years, researchers have done testing resulting in the effectiveness of these types of games as being a positive factor in the therapy programs. However, due to many skeptics and limited funding, there is not many articles to further support these scarce findings. But that was a different time and place, and now many people are interested in researching how motion based video games can be used, resulting in more articles appearing in the future focused on this subject

          The current mode of Wii-hab involves Nintendo’s Wii but will soon have many competitors as other gaming devices are meant to surface soon. For example, Microsoft and Sony are in the process right now in developing their own type of gaming system which will become Nintendo’s main competitors: the Microsoft Kinect and Sony Move. 

             There are even interactive events related to Wii-hab. One is called Technopalooza: An Interactive Experience. The event is held inside the exhibit hall at the APTA Combined Sections meeting and will allow the attendees opportunities to meet and converse with physical therapists who have integrated Wii-Therapy into there programs. This is a great opportunity to open the eyes of the skeptics to the positive side of video gaming therapy and allow them an opportunity to learn in an interactive environment and see real life results.

As Wii-hab becomes more popular in society and more positive research about integrating video games into therapy emerges, the skeptics will lessen and more people will start to benefit from the advantages gaming has in programs. But with that being said, it makes me wonder what other kinds of technology devices out there have the potential to be useful in therapy? Or what new inventions are being created under the radar and are going to supersede video games? Or even replace therapy in general! Who knows, but for now don’t be a skeptic, embrace video gaming, because the world is constantly changing and being part of society we are forced to accept these changes. Don’t fight it, go with it J Until next time!