The Nintendo Wii has already proved a hit at retirement homes and with people recovering from injuries, but it’s become a success with sufferers of Alzheimer’s sufferers in the US.

John Jacobs is an Alzheimer’s sufferer living in the Silverado Senior Living home, and he’s been playing baseball on the Wii with all the skill and determination of a video game playing teenager.

Linda Szemenyei, who works at the care home, stated about the Wii’s impact on the residents:

Mr. Jacobs was able to hit the baseball when no one else could, including those of us on the staff.

The Wii has proved very popular with Mr Jacobs as he has a lifelong love affair with baseball, and the console has allowed him to play the game for the first time in a long while. He was a high school player and again at University, but hasn’t been able to play it for a long time.

Carole Shaw, administrator of the home, had the idea of bringing the Wii into the lives of the residents.

I played with it and I had been reading about how senior citizens were enjoying it and using it for exercise. I hadn’t heard of it being played by people with Alzheimer’s Disease, but I didn’t see any reason that our residents wouldn’t be able to use it. Our philosophy at Silverado is to always look at what people with memory impairment can do, rather than what they can’t do, and I thought this would be exciting.