Should the Gov't Pay For Injured Man's Wii?

An anonymous reader writes "Politicians in the Australian state of Victoria are currently locked in a debate about whether an injured man should be able to claim the cost of a Nintendo Wii for rehabilitation purposes under worker's compensation. The man's doctor apparently recommended he use the Wii Fit exercise device, but both insurance companies and the government itself have blocked the payment and have now ridiculed the idea as paying for video games. But with the Wii Fit increasingly being used for rehabilitation purposes internationally, does the man have a fair case?"

Comments

Re:How can it be cheaper than FREE?

[icebraining]

Except he doesn't need to lose weight, but to perform rehabilitation exercises. Have you even read the title?

Re:It's probably cheaper than the alternatives

[Crewdawg]

My wife works in Occupational Therapy and they utilize the Wii for hand eye coordination with people recovering from strokes, as well as other injuries. It provides immediate feedback of both fine and gross motor skills.

If there were more specific "games" designed around therapy I think there it would be a valid mechanism for treatment. I'm not sure Wii Fit and Super Mario Party are maximizing the potential.

Re:It's probably cheaper than the alternatives

[MBGMorden]

I know they're a lot cheaper than a wheelchair but the crutches and boot from when I broke my leg both stayed with me, along with a few other miscellaneous gadgets from rehab. Worker's comp paid for all of it (fell down the stairs at work so it fell under worker's comp). I'm guessing there's some cost threshold though.

Re:It's probably cheaper than the alternatives

[MBGMorden]

In this case the stairs had had water tracked in from it raining outside that hadn't been cleaned up. When coming down the stairs when you don't even know it's been raining, hitting a soaking wet stair and your foot slipping isn't exactly too far fetched. There was no lawsuit. Worker's comp picked up the tab because THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET INJURED AT WORK.

Thanks for playing though!