With a headset, residents have been able to ride
a roller coaster and visit the Egyptian pyramids,
Eiffel Tower and places they used to live. Some
researchers say virtual reality can aid seniors
with cognition, dementia and loneliness.
Besides traveling, Golliver is using the
technology to help write her memoirs.
The program, Engage VR, was developed
for Watermark Retirement Communities
specifically. It uses a cordless headset system
called Oculus Quest.
Zoe Katleman, a project manager with
Watermark, said they will eventually make the
technology available at dozens of facilities
nationwide, the Arizona Daily Star reported.
Watermark also wants to allow residents across
its communities to be able to meet up virtually.
Grayson Barnes, 20, spent two years developing
the Engage VR program for Watermark while
studying at Rochester Institute of Technology.
He said most research suggests that dementia
patients are more like themselves after
experiencing virtual reality. Also, one group of
researchers has “turned to virtual reality as a
potential method to screen for early signs of
dementia,” Barnes said in an email.
Dr. Marvin Slepian, a professor of medicine
and director of the Arizona Center for
Accelerated Biomedical Innovation, said
doctors are using virtual reality more often for
diagnosing and therapy.
“Advances in wearable technology, virtual reality
and integrative imaging hold the promise of
revolutionizing how we monitor, control and
prevent disease,” Slepian said.