Hospital auxiliary donates Wii, TV for rehab

By Bryson Nesbitt

For the Salisbury Post

The Rowan Regional Medical Center (RRMC) Auxiliary recently donated a Nintendo Wii, large screen television and DVD player to the Elizabeth C. Stanback Rehabilitation Center at RRMC.

The new equipment will be used in conjunction with traditional equipment to help rehabilitate patients in the unit.

Patients of the unit have already begun to feel the effects of this alternative, and fun, form of rehabilitation. When asked how this equipment has helped her to recover, Stanback Rehab patient Cindy Davis said, “It helps my upper body, because I can’t use my lower body right now.” Davis has used the Wii a couple of times for therapy during her stay on the unit.

Mary Jo Agner, PT and manager of Rehabilitation Medicine said that the new equipment “adds a whole new element of fun for patients like Davis, who used to be an avid bowler. This allows her to get back to the things she enjoys.

“Sometimes patients play against family members which gets the family involved with the therapy and rehab.”

Patients in the unit have three hours of therapy five days per week, and now patients for whom it is appropriate, may be able to use the Wii for the last 30 minutes of therapy.

The Wii has a “balance platform” that measures center of balance, center of mass and weight. This platform gives the patient feedback as to how they are standing. The Wii Balance Platform makes it a little easier for them compared to looking at mirrors.

“Patients are more motivated to participate in order to better their score on the Wii. They are able to visualize their improvement in weight bearing and balance,” said Lisa Lennox, PT and lead therapist for Stanback Rehab.

When asked how patients are assessed in order to use the Wii system Lennox said, “Anyone who has good sitting balance can use it. Before the patient stands on the unit they have to be able to stand with minimal assistance. They can use a walker to do that.”

Lennox said the Stanback Rehab Center, which is a 10-bed acute inpatient rehab facility, is planning to add a cognitive program to the Wii that the speech therapists can utilize.

The RRMC Auxiliary is a 200 member group committed to supporting Rowan Regional Medical Center and its mission of providing the highest quality medical services and improving the health of Rowan County and its surrounding counties, one person at a time.

In 2009, RRMC Auxiliary members contributed approximately 22,000 hours of service to the hospital and donated much needed money to the hospital through its fundraising efforts.

To learn about volunteer opportunities at Rowan Regional Medical Center, please call 704-210-5157.

For more information on the Elizabeth C. Stanback Rehabilitation Unit at Rowan Regional Medical Center, call 704-210-5336.

Nesbitt is an intern with Public Relations & Marketing at Rowan Regional Medical Center.