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Who says games are for the youth

Wii Bowling League at assisted living facility enhances residents’ quality of life

By KRISTI R. GARABRANDT 7 min read

EAST LIVERPOOL - Seniors at Crossroads at Beaver Creek, an assisted living center in East Liverpool, can be found each Saturday afternoon in fierce competition.

What began with some residents playing the game for an hour or two at a time, the league, suggested by resident Dave Lyons, allows members at the facility to engage in friendly sport, sharing camaraderie while encouraging and cheering each other on.

Jared Shilot, Chief Financial Officer at Crossroads, said the facility started the league about a year ago and experienced increased interest in game. The center responded by upgrading to a Nintendo Switch, which they use to play on a 100-inch large screen TV.

The league consists of three teams each with four players each. Players switch teams each month to keep it competitive.

Shilot said they start a new season each month in case there is turnover in members. At the end of each month, the league members celebrate a championship game and a pizza party where a traveling trophy is presented.

Benefits for the residents

Shilot noted that the league provides multiple benefits to the residents, especially social, physical and mental.

Shilot and Giovanna Sullivan, activities assistant, both noted many of the residents who participate in the league do not attend any of the other activities offered at the facility. Thus, the league is encouraging some residents the opportunity to leave their room to socialize and make friends, giving them something to look forward to each week. The residents also often go to the activities room after dinner to practice for Saturday league play.

"It's really giving something to have camaraderie and stay competitive," Shilot said. "It gives them an environment to compete. Any Saturday you can hear them yelling and screaming and cheering each other on. It's amazing because they are playing against each other, but they are rooting for each other at the same time."

Shilot said the residents have a bunch of games such as tennis, basketball and Mario Cart, but the residents aren't interested in any of the other games, and they don’t seem to want to try them; they just want to bowl.

Shilot noted the game works well and is the perfect pace for any of the residents, who can play it sitting or standing or from a wheelchair. He also pointed out it is a physical activity involving skill for them, but it is also an accessible activity.

Shilot said this kind of activity can enhance the residents' quality of life and possibly increase their longevity.

"I think a lot of people of their generation, if they don't live in a facility like this, might not see anybody for a week at a time at home. So if they live here and get involved in an activity like this, it absolutely increases their quality of life and longevity," Shilot said. "We are always doing a variety of activities to get them this engagement, but most of them only want the bowling."

Shilot said there are residents who are 99 and 103 years old playing in the bowling league. He noted that there are a lot of residents who don't play but are excited to come and watch the others play and cheer them on.

A community of its own

Sullivan described the bowlers as a unique community that has a lot of fun. She said she enjoys working with them and looks forward to spending Saturdays with them. She noted that she always looks forward to coming into work and seeing them.

Sullivan said that Lyons is the one who started pushing for the league and got it started about the time she started working at Crossroads. She noted once the league got started, they ordered team T-shirts for the bowlers, and it has become one of the best activities at the facility. She said the league members are like her family now.

Sullivan described one resident in the league and whose health took a turn for worse and had to be transferred to a nursing home for hospice care when it seemed she might not make it. She said the resident actually regained her health and returned back to Crossroads and the bowling league.

Sullivan said the resident was determined she was going to make it back to bowl again, and the bowling league is probably what gave her the determination to keep going.

The resident bowled 268 in her game after returning.

Perfection in waiting

Resident Bob Sullivan, 95, recently bowled the first perfect 300 game in the league. He said he previously bowled one in practice, before officially scoring one during team play.

An athlete in high school, Bob Sullivan still has a very competitive nature when it comes to playing games and said he offers tips to teammates and helps coach them. He noted he has a teammate who was averaging 150 and after coaching he scored a 226.

Giovanna Sullivan, who is Bob's daughter, said they have waited every week since the league started for someone to get a perfect 300 and that many of the players have achieved that during practice throughout the week.

Shilot pointed out that the difference in practice and league play is like any other sport - one is performing with an audience and have the pressure of others watching and cheering for you, making it more challenging.

Giovanna said all the residents were on the edge of their seats during the game cheering Bob on, and his team took the championship trophy for the month.

Bob laughed when he said he didn't know how he scored a perfect 300; it just happened.

Not going quietly

Lyons said a lot of residents are at senior living facilities for end of life care, and even though Crossroads is a top-of-line place, it's still not like home. So a lot of the residents came together to create the league which keeps them busy, he said.

Lyons noted some of the residents are in their late 90s and even some over 100, saying that it's amazing to see them actively participating and cheering.

"It's been a really good ride to see them come together instead of pulling apart; we see more of each other than we do our family, so they are my family," Lyons said.

Lyons said he had never bowled prior to forming the bowling league, and it's good to see everybody having fun.

"We come down here on Saturday and we tear this place apart, YEA, YEA, screaming and yelling and just having a good time," Lyons said. "They put us out to pasture, and we found something to do that we could do and I think we do it pretty well."

Resident Cathy Starky said the league is very important to her and the other residents, and everybody who participates is seriously there to bowl.

"Everything is nice being here, especially Saturday; we know Gee (Giovanna) is with us, and we know everybody is here to bowl and it's really fun. We look forward to it all week," Starky said. "This is a good team; we all work and cheer. Even if it's not a team member, we still cheer for them because we like them."

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