Fillmore seniors will soon have the opportunity to be bowling champions, and they don’t have to be able to heave a heavy ball down a waxed runway. SCAN Health Plan, a nonprofit health plan for people with Medicare, is donating Nintendo Wii units to ten Ventura County senior centers, including Fillmore Senior Center.
"Wii bowling has become very popular among seniors as it provides them a chance to engage in an activity that they might otherwise not be able to do," said Steve Lehman, manager of the SCAN Senior Resource Center in Ventura. "It's a great form of fun and easy exercise."
Representatives of the ten chosen senior centers gathered at SCAN on Oct. 29 for a Wii bowling demonstration. Each center will receive a Wii unit along with assistance in setting up a virtual bowling league at their facility. The leagues will have the opportunity to compete in an annual county-wide tournament.
"SCAN's mission has always been to promote healthy and independent aging in the communities we serve," said Lehman. "One of the best things you can do to remain healthy and independent is to keep moving and keep active. Wii bowling is great way to do that."
Other centers receiving Wii units from SCAN include: Ventura Avenue Adult Center, Ventura Senior Recreation Center, Santa Paula Senior Center, Help of Ojai/Little House Multipurpose Center, South Oxnard Senior Center, Colonia Senior Center, Port Hueneme Senior Center, Camarillo Senior Center, and Simi Valley Senior Center.
There are three senior centers in Ventura County that currently have Wii Units. -- The Wilson Senior Center in Oxnard, Moorpark Senior Center and the Goebel Senior Center in Thousand Oaks. These centers will be invited to join in the annual Ventura County Wii Bowling Tournament.
For more than 30 years, SCAN Health Plan has been focusing on the unique needs of people with Medicare and today is the fourth largest nonprofit Medicare Advantage Plan in the United States. The company currently serves nearly 105,000 members in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Ventura and Kern counties. In Arizona, SCAN offers a health plan for Medicare and Medicaid-eligible individuals, provides long-term care services to individuals enrolled in the state’s long-term care system in Maricopa County, and in 2009 will be offering a Medicare Advantage Plan in Maricopa County. Further information may be obtained at www.scanhealthplan.com.