Nintendo’s Wii Fit has been the center of recent health studies because of its ability to not only improve balance, but to improve the mental functioning of those who play.

Dr. Phyllis Croisant’s health studies research involving the Wii Fit inspired the Academy of Lifetime Learning to host a workshop today focusing on ways to improve balance using the Wii Fit system.

Croisant, a professor in exercise physiology and gerontology, has used the Wii Fit in past studies with the elderly and will be teaching the workshop.

“I had a group of people who were between the ages of 64 and 91 that did 20 training sessions of about half an hour each, and we did balance tests before we started and after we were finished to see if there were any changes,” Croisant said.

Janna Overstreet, the project coordinator for the Academy of Lifetime Learning, contacted Croisant to teach this workshop after she heard about her work.

“(Overstreet) knew about my research and she said ‘Would you come over and do a class about using the Wii Fit for balance?’ and I said ‘sure,'” Croisant said.

Overstreet liked the idea of a workshop using the Wii Fit because it is something fun and educational.

“I am excited to see a program that people can use to improve their health while also spending time with their children and grandchildren in a fun interactive manner,” Overstreet said.

The workshop will consist of balance tests, including the Timed Up and Go Test, which Croisant has seen improvement with in her research.

Croisant has noticed mental functioning improvements, in addition to improvements in balance, through her research with the Wii Fit. Croisant said areas of functioning that improve from using the Wii Fit include the executive functioning of the brain, which includes decision making and short-term memory.

“Executive functioning is related to fall risk and, as people get older, the function is diminished and they have higher incidences of falls,” Croisant said. “I saw some fairly big changes in executive functioning through my studies.”

Previous participants have enjoyed working with the Wii Fit, and some even went on to purchase one for their home.

“Out of the 13 (training subjects) seven of them ended up buying their own Wii Fit system because they had so much fun with it,” Croisant said.

The workshop will be an hour and a half with Croisant focusing on what physical factors change as people get older, which cause problems for maintaining their balance.

“(The workshop) will start with some simple balance tests before we actually try some of the games,” Croisant said. “I’m going to show them how the Wii Fit works and have them do a little bit of playing.”

Overstreet said that ultimately the goal of workshops put on by the Academy of Lifetime Learning is to continue learning at every age.

“Hopefully, students, faculty and staff are understanding that learning is fun and is a lifetime long endeavor,” Overstreet said. “The goal with these workshops is to show how research can lead to real-life problem-solving.”

The event will take place from 1 to 2:30 p.m. today in Room 2116 of Blair Hall.

Megan Tkacy can be reached at 581-7942 or metkacy@eiu.edu.

(Illustration by Audrey Sawyer and Caleb Branson/The Daily Eastern News)

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