Long Island senior living communities are using virtual reality as recreation and therapy

A sunlit Italian cafe fills three seamless screens wrapping a room at Gurwin’s Fay J. Lindner Assisted Living Residences in Commack. Five residents watch as butterflies alight on flowers, a furry white dog sits nearby and pigeons peck on the ground.

“This is the most fun I’ve had at Gurwin,” said Judy Cohen, 83.

“This reminds me of Sorrento,” added Iris Silverberg, 87.

Soon, Italy gives way to a Parisian streetscape. As the imposing Eiffel Tower appeared on screen, Gus Wurman, 98, started singing, “The Last Time I Saw Paris.”

“It’s a magnificent structure, built in the 1800s, so it’s remarkable they were able to build it so high,” said Lenny Graber, 90.

For these residents, the experiences are happening in the virtual world. But across Long Island, senior living and nursing facilities like Gurwin are increasingly using immersive technology to transport residents to places that may have become difficult or impossible for them to visit physically. While the technology offers recreation and a welcome break from the day, staff members are also using it to reduce agitation and loneliness, stimulate their minds and even help them cope with symptoms of PTSD. 

And the results seem promising. A 2022 pilot study published in the Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering suggested VR could distract users from pain and the technology could enhance their well-being. And researchers at Cornell University’s Design and Augmented Intelligence Lab are undertaking a 240-participant, National Institutes of Health-funded study to research whether the tech could help users feel more socially engaged and improve cognition. Saleh Kalantari, an associate professor in Cornell's Department of Human Centered Design who is leading the study, said the early findings give reason to be "cautiously optimistic," but more research is needed.

"When thoughtfully implemented with individualized content, appropriate safety screening and staff support, VR can be a valuable complement to recreation and care in senior communities," he said in an email. "It should support, rather than replace, meaningful human connection.”

The immersion room

Gurwin has used virtual reality in its memory care unit for the past two years to help residents reduce agitation and address behavioral issues, said Kat Biggs, assistant director of therapeutic recreation and volunteer services.

"We use it for environmental simulation," she said, noting it helps residents with sundowning behavior, or agitation that can occur in the late afternoon or evening.

Gurwin recently introduced the "immersion room" in its assisted living facility, where multiple residents can watch a scene displayed on the walls. Gurwin piloted VR glasses technology, but found the immersion room worked better as it fosters social interaction when multiple residents experience a scene together. 

“It’s a little bit more inclusive," Biggs said. "Not everyone responds well to the VR glasses."

Gus Wurman, 98, gave up driving three years ago. But in the immersion room, he found himself behind the wheel again.

"Let it rip, Gus," Silverberg told him.

Treatment for PTSD

At the Long Island State Veterans Home in Stony Brook, immersive technology serves a more therapeutic purpose.

Naomi Sawyer, a resident of the home for four years, has virtually swum with sharks, spent time in botanical settings and likes to go skydiving — all without leaving the facility. She said she uses the VR technology whenever she can to help with the PTSD she has from serving in the Army during Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada.

“It’s really an exciting piece of equipment,” said Sawyer, 63. “It relaxes you. It sort of takes you away from everything. It lasts, with me, personally, through the day.”

In 2018, Stony Brook became the first veterans home in the nation to use technology from Mynd Immersive, a provider of virtual reality and digital therapeutics geared toward older adults. It is now in more than 100 state and federal VA facilities, in addition to senior living, rehabilitation and other healthcare settings nationwide, according to the company.

The technology offers a nonpharmacological treatment option for the facility's approximately 350 residents, many of which have some form of PTSD and/or anxiety and depression, deputy executive director Jonathan Spier said.

“These immersive glasses allow you to pick thousands of different scenarios,” he said. “So, we can find something for everyone basically.”

The tech can be tailored to a resident's interests, like driving a Formula One race car in Monaco or visiting an old neighborhood.

“With this device, I can really get down to what makes you happy, and that’s really important when you’re dealing with depression, or you’re dealing with anxiety, or you’re dealing with somebody who’s kind of on the edge,” Spier said.

During the sessions, a recreation therapist is on hand with a tablet or iPad viewing what each veteran is seeing through the headset.

“This allows the therapist to guide the experience, navigate the content and foster discussion and social interaction among participants by engaging them in what they are viewing,” said Michelle Cheslak, director of therapeutic recreation.

Six or seven residents can link their goggles for a joint trip to say, Europe or Washington, D.C., which can stimulate conversation afterward. 

Recreation and nostalgia

Jefferson’s Ferry in South Setauket has been using the Rendever VR system, an immersive technology that purports to help promote a longer and healthier life span, for the past two years, said Lorrie Prescott, director of recreation for the community’s Vincent Bove Health Center.

“When you put the goggles on, they’re completely immersive,” she said. “You don’t know anything. You really think you’re there and if you take a step, you’re going to fall off a cliff, kind of thing. It’s really wild.”

Sessions are held for four residents at a time who are seated and wearing headsets that connect and are controlled by the director via an iPad.

The scenes are so realistic that residents on an African safari will duck out of the way when an elephant kicks up dust, she said. They can get close-up views of masterpieces on a walking tour of the Louvre, take a hot-air balloon ride or experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

“You can put in any address you want and go there. We took someone to see their old house,” said Prescott, noting that this leads to lots of reminiscing.

They’ve used it with different populations within the retirement community, including moderately advanced dementia residents who are confused but alert and conversational. They seem to love animal videos, particularly of kittens and puppies, she said.

“The residents put their hands out to try to feed the goats,” Prescott said.

It's now scheduled twice weekly in the memory care unit.

There are benefits to visiting exotic locales virtually, said Silverberg, the Gurwin resident.

“It’s so relaxing on the beach,” she said. “And especially, you don’t have to clean out the sand from your shoes.”