Wii for the Wounded – Military Troops Recover with Technology

Wii for the Wounded?

Project Valour-IT Offers Additional Technologies

Teenagers and families aren’t the only ones going wild for Wii. Whole-body video game systems like Wii can help wounded warriors recover! As part of refocusing Project Valour-IT, Soldiers’ Angels is working to ensure the wounded have the Wii systems and other technologies that support their recovery.

In its three short years of existence, Project Valour-IT has delivered over 2,700 voice-controlled laptops to severely wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines. Now it is expanding its mission to meet the technological needs of the wounded in additional ways that support their physical and psychological recovery. While continuing to supply voice-controlled laptops, and working closely with the Department of Defense caseworkers and medical personnel, Valour-IT is now committed to supplying Wii game systems, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) and GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) systems to severely wounded veterans.

Video games, PDAs and GPS systems may be luxuries or toys for some people, but they can have a powerful effect on a wounded soldier’s recovery and independence. Physical therapists report Wii Sports and similar programs are extremely motivational and helpful when used in physical therapy, but they are not standard equipment in military hospitals.

Wounded personnel with short-term memory loss due to TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and severe PTSD use personal and vehicle GPS systems to keep from getting lost or disoriented when they move to more independent living after initial in-hospital recovery. PDAs can also play a vital role in severely-wounded soldiers’ successful recoveries through note-taking capabilities and audio reminders for those with memory loss, and the ability to keep track of complicated treatment regimens.

Valour-IT was created in response to emerging needs, and this new focus maintains that flexibility.

The project began in 2005 when it became clear that wounded soldiers did not have easy access to voice-controlled computer technology, which would give them a sense of independence and wholeness while recovering from devastating injuries. In 2006 Valour-IT moved to partner with Department of Defense caseworkers to increase the effectiveness of both groups in meeting voice-controlled technology needs of patients.

Today the military is developing programs to provide voice-controlled computers directly, and Valour-IT is once-again moving to meet emerging needs by offering Wii game systems, PDAs, and GPS systems to support the physical and psychology recovery of America’s wounded veterans.