Lorien Health Services in Taneytown Crown Beck Wisotzkey ‘Queen of Spintopia’
Lorien Taneytown crowned Becky Wisotzkey “Queen of Spintopia” last week after the 95-year-old became the longest-running contestant playing the virtual live-hosted interactive game.
A year ago, Lorien partnered with Sasha Dawn, the CEO and founder of Utopia Experiences, a Columbia, MD-based company that created a live-hosted game show called Spintopia – like Wheel of Fortune – specifically geared toward seniors.
“What an honor,” Wisotzkey said after receiving a Spintopia sash and crown from Dawn who made the presentation. “I have been living here for seven years, that is a long time, but this has been probably the most beneficial-type half hour that I spend here playing this game. It gives me a lot to think about … it brings back a lot of knowledge to play it.”
Wisotzkey, whose plays with Spintopia partner Millie Mann, 89, hasn’t missed a game in a year, “minus a couple stints in the hospital,” Dawn said.
“Our intent is to bring awareness and honor to our contestants, and the incredible staff at Lorien Taneytown,” she said.
Lorien, a family-owned and operated assisted living and nursing home company based in Ellicott City, was the first to pilot Spintopia in Maryland, which is growing in popularity across the country with nursing homes and assisted living operators.
“They (Lorien) were our first and are our longest customer,” Dawn said.
Residents at Lorien’s nursing homes in Taneytown and Elkridge compete against each other on a regular basis.
Spintopia uses “formats, colors, fonts, and games they’d recognize from what was on TV back when they were younger,” Dawn said. “It was incredible to see them light up when they saw something familiar, like it was unlocking something deep from within their subconscious.”
Lorien residents fell in love with the game when they first played it last April. Their faces light up as they search for answers to fun questions, and they are engaged when playing.
Dawn has seen that glow in Wisotzkey’s face. “She loves the game and her partner,” she said.
