An inter Ehpad tournament around video games was held in Samatan on Wednesday May 3. An unusual and friendly moment for these seniors from Samatan and Lombez.
No, video games are not just for teenagers! This Wednesday, May 3, a duel took place between two nursing homes, on the one hand that of Samatan and on the other that of Lombez. The residents and their facilitators got together for a friendly and competitive afternoon playing Mario Kart with the Switch on a giant screen. “It’s great, I played earlier and I love it. It’s all new for me because we didn’t have that in my day but I quickly got the hang of it and I I won”, confides Elise, resident. At his side, Marcelle is smiling and is delighted to participate in this unusual and innovative activity: “It’s easy in the end, we have a lot of fun”, she explains. And when asked if they have a competitive spirit, Elise answers in the affirmative: “Oh yes of course, it’s a real competition, we do everything to win”, she says.
In the middle, Paul, big winner of the inter Ehpad tournament this Wednesday, May 3.
The residents compete in turn, always backed up and supported by their hosts Dominique and Babeth who don’t hesitate to raise their voices to encourage the seniors. “It’s a great project, we immediately accepted the proposal because it’s out of the ordinary, it brings the residents out and they are testing something they don’t know. We see that they are motivated and that is great,” says Dominique from the nursing home in Lombez. Babeth, animator at Samatan adds that this afternoon of play is “a kind of culmination after several hours of training and training within the establishments”.
An intergenerational and unifying project
This initiative was born thanks to several actors including the departmental media library of Gers, the librarians of Samatan and the nursing homes. “We were thinking about a new project to carry out with the residents of nursing homes. With the facilitators, we thought about setting up something around video games to change. We started teaching them to play with the Wii then with the Switch”, explains Marie Maioné, from the Gers departmental media library, who adds that four 1h30 animations were provided to teach novices to play the console.
After the announcement of the results, gifts were given to the residents of the two participating nursing homes.
During the afternoon, children join the residents to challenge them during a game of Mario Kart. Dany Dejean, head of entertainment at the Samatan media library, explains that it is an “intergenerational” moment. “Young people in the area are setting up a web radio station, that’s why a teenager is interviewing the participants,” she says.
And now, the announcement of the results is approaching after several hours of play. The suspense is at its height…Marie Maione announces the ranking. And it’s Paul, from Lombez who comes first, applauded by everyone and with a smile on his face.
Dominique, host of Lombez, proud to present the cup to the nursing home she represents.
The day ended with the presentation of the cup for the winning Ehpad, Lombez and gifts offered by the Department to all residents. Without forgetting a snack shared by the seniors, their facilitators and the organizers. A friendly and joyful moment that they are not ready to forget…