She waits patiently again. This time, the room is totally empty.
During the last session of Seniors Wii Bowling at the Nepean Centrepoint Library, Vanessa Menor played Wii bowling with an enthusiastic newcomer to Ottawa who was hoping to meet other seniors and make new friends.
But the new-comer's absence says it all – while it is important for seniors to get physically active, most are just unwilling to embrace new technology as a way to get active.
“The woman who came last time has carpal tunnel syndrome,” Menor remembers. “At the beginning I thought 'I am going to let her win so she has fun and comes back.' But she bowled three strikes in a row and killed me.”
Menor used to be a librarian at the Nepean Centrepointe Library. When the Wii program for teens was launched, there was an overwhelming response from participants.
Menor thought she could recreate the same experience for seniors, at the same time connecting them with peers who had similar interests – like bowling.
She emailed several public libraries in the United States, where Wii bowling tournaments at seniors’ centres have become a phenomenon, to get more information on how to run a successful program.
She also advertised the event widely on the Internet, but says the downside to Internet advertising is that a lot of seniors are not keen about going online.
The Good Companions Seniors Centre on Albert Street has actually introduced the Wii game to seniors already and according to volunteer Ana Valenca, the response to it borders along skepticism around new technology and not wanting to trade in traditional games.
“Some of them stay quiet because it’s a new technology. Everything that is new sometimes scares them,” says Valenca.
The two-and-a-half-hour sessions on Tuesdays are usually dominated by men who are keen on playing Wii golf, which is part of the “Wii Sports” game package. Otherwise, most seniors are interested in board games in favour of the Wii.
“It’s a little strange for them, especially for the seniors that have been bowling since they were young. They want the real thing.”
Margaret Dibben-King, still very active at 79-years-old, swims three times a week at the Carleton Pool. While she says she would happily try the Wii for exercise, she thinks most of her cohort is unlikely to embrace technology as a way to exercise.
“I think it would be a fun idea. It would also help motivate you to get involved and improve your flexibility and strength,” says Dibben-King.
“But I think a lot of us are alarmed by technology, we are afraid that no one will teach us how to use the equipment and we will use it wrong.”
In addition to offering ways to get active using technology, the centre also offers Internet courses for seniors to learn how to get information online. The Centrepoint library, along with other libraries in the city, offer Internet courses for seniors.
Meanwhile, Menor is rethinking her approach to using the Wii for seniors’ recreation, and sees the possibility of merging these types of recreation programs with internet courses to yield a higher turnout.
Reaching them online, however, seems like an almost insurmountable hurdle.
“The problem is that in that age group, people are more likely to read the newspaper,” Vanessa laments. The Internet class always fills up, but because it runs from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., she says that by the time the class is finished, everyone is too tired for anything else and ready to head home.
“If you don’t have computer experience, an hour and a half is a lot. So that is already intimidating enough.”