Nursing home grannies take up Wii Boxing

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CRAWLEY, England, July 11 (UPI) -- Workers at a Crawley, England, nursing home said residents of the all-female facility have become hooked on games for the Nintendo Wii console.

Trevor Bartley, manager of the Greensleeves Nursing Home, said the two Wii consoles he purchased for the residents have "worked wonders" for helping the residents exercise their minds and bodies, The Telegraph reported Friday.

"The idea came about after my wife Linda and I brought our machine in for them to try and they absolutely loved it," he said. "I had read about Wiis being used for people who've had a stroke or rehabilitation after an accident, and I thought, why not?"

Rose Sanders, 98, and Violet Gyves, 95, said their favorite activity is to square off in Wii Boxing, a game that encourages players to mimic the movements of a boxer and use the game controllers to emulate punching.

"Rose and I love playing the boxing game -- it's a great way to keep fit and it doesn't hurt to take out some aggression now and again," Gyves said.