Virtual Reality Brings Joy to People in Assisted-Living Communities

Assisted living and long-term care communities are increasingly using virtual reality (VR) to improve wellness and quality of life for residents, reports the Wall Street Journal . Caregivers say allowing residents to roam through virtual environments helps them combat such age-related conditions as loneliness, depression, and possibly even cognitive deficits. The pandemic has given VR a big boost as care community residents faced new constraints on visitors and activities. The technology's long-term utility could apply to a rapidly aging population with growing life expectancy. A 2018 field study in Human Aspects of IT for the Aged Population found that nearly 39 percent of a group of assisted-living residents reported "better perceived overall health" after viewing VR images related to travel and relaxation. Meanwhile, emotional well-being improved 29.7 percent for the VR group compared with 4.8 percent of a group that just watched TV. A separate study in Scientific Reports considered 48 older adults with typical cognitive capabilities for their age (68.7 years), and those who played a specially developed VR game over a four-week period had improvement in long-term memory, while those who played the game on a tablet did not have the same effect.