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You probably picture videogamers obsessed with VR, wandering around their basements wearing futuristic headsets when you hear the words VR.
I mean, seriously now. What appeal could this sci-fi technology hold for a boomer in midlife?
Frankly, quite a lot. Virtual reality allows for highly realistic simulated experiences. Virtual bucket-list experiences are being offered by companies like MyndVR or Viva Vita. This is a great opportunity for those who cannot travel because of mobility, financial or health issues.
Isolation is a problem
There is something even more: Immersive experiences that go deeper and help to tackle loneliness and cognitive decline which are two of our biggest problems as we age.
A study found that almost one in four adults 65 years and older were socially isolated. This significantly increases the risk of premature death due to all causes, and is linked to a 50% greater risk of developing dementia.
You can see why virtual reality will become a trillion-dollar market in five years.
What can VR do? One path is offered by Rendever, a Massachusetts-based business.
Kyle Rand is the co-founder and CEO. He was a college student at the time when he noticed how isolation affected his grandmother's quality of living. Since then, he has been trying to use VR to create new social connections through shared experiences.
Also, read: How to prolong your life up to two years
VR group trips are more than a solo pursuit. Instead of wearing a headset and walking through a vast landscape alone, you can walk around Paris Left Bank and talk with your friends (aquaintances) about what is happening.
Julie Bauman is the executive director of Ohio Living Breckenridge village, an Ohio community. She has been a Rendever partner for nearly a year and has seen firsthand how VR groups can impact communities.
We wanted to give residents a different way of experiencing things and reminiscing in an enjoyable way. Bauman said that the group sessions are a dozen to a week and the immersive experience is very powerful. Participants reach out with their hands and travel through Machu Picchu.
It takes people to another place in a way that's otherwise impossible, she said. And it creates connections and conversations more than any slideshow or screening could.
This observation is supported by research from MIT. It was found that VR-enabled assisted-living residents had fewer signs of depression and social isolation, and were happier than those who watched TV.
Learn more: How virtual reality can be used to treat mental health conditions
We will be going to so many places!
VR can also be used to lift the aging process by connecting people who are unable to be together in real life (in person).
Today's families are often scattered, with nearly one in four seniors living alone. One VR company is testing programs that allow an elderly person and a relative to share a headset. They can go together virtual adventuring, despite being far apart. This could revolutionize the concept of family reunions, as clans can gather on virtual mountainstops or beaches created by tech.
Virtual Reality allows you to explore the canals and alleyways of Venice from a different perspective. AFP via Getty Images
It can replace sitting at a table with another person. However, VR could be the next best thing.
Technology can be a great tool, but not to replace face-to-face, but as a complement and conduit for it, according to Sara Czaja (a professor of gerontology at Weill Cornell Medical College and founder and director of CREATE, Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement).
Make meaningful memories
VR can create new memories and channel the ones we have in our memory banks. Reminiscence therapy is gaining more prominence. This involves revisiting one's past (sharing photos and songs) in order to increase self-esteem. This can be particularly beneficial for people with cognitive decline.
Bauman says that although dementia sufferers may have lost a lot of their recent history, many emotions and memories from the past are still present. A rich immersive experience can help you remember and talk about something from the past.
VR sessions can transport you to the streets you grew up or the arena you saw the Stones perform in 1978.
This flashback can do more than comforting.
Bauman remembers one instance where a resident with speech problems could only communicate with one or two words at once. This person joined a VR adventure that took him along the famous Pacific Crest Trail. It runs along the top of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges. Unlocked memories. This person had walked a part of the same path many decades before and could share his experiences with others using five- to six-word sentences.
Research on VR in this area is very promising. 2020 research found that digital reminiscencetherapy (uploading and sharing personal memories that trigger memories) improves the mood and provides more social interaction opportunities. Research from the United Kingdom also showed that VR experiences can reduce aggression and increase interaction among this population.
There are clear benefits VR can bring to patients with dementia and their caregivers. One of the 2020 study's researchers Jim Ang said that VR offers a richer, more fulfilling quality of life.
You can see how virtual and augmented reality could increase productivity by 21%
Although the experience is virtual, it's real and shows how technology can improve our lives.
Janet Siroto, a journalist and content strategist based in NYC, specializes in lifestyle and wellness topics. She also writes personal essays.
This article was reprinted with permission from NextAvenue.org, Inc. 2021 Twin Cities Public Television, Inc.
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