Similar to many retirement communities, The Terraces provides a peaceful home for a core group of seniors who are no longer able to journey to distant locations or partake in daring activities.
However, they can still be returned to their youthful days of travel and adventure whenever staff at the Los Gatos, California community organize a time for residents—a large number of whom are octogenarians and nonagenarians—to take turns wearing VR headsets.
In just minutes, the devices can take them to Europe, plunge them into the deep sea, or send them flying on stunning hang-gliding adventures, all from their seats. The VR content is selected by Rendever, a firm that has transformed a technology that can sometimes be isolating into a driver for improved mental function and social bonds across 800 senior living facilities in the U.S. and Canada.
Earlier this year, a group of Terraces residents taking part in a VR session were seen moving their arms beside their chairs as they virtually swam with dolphins. “We got to go underwater and didn’t even have to hold our breath!” 81-year-old Ginny declared after the simulated dive.
In a session with a virtual hot-air balloon ride, one resident cried out, “Oh my God!” A different resident reacted by trembling, “It’s hard to watch!”
The Rendever system can also enable older adults to revisit locations from their childhoods. For certain individuals, it marks the first occasion they have laid eyes on their hometowns in many years.
A virtual journey to her old neighborhood in Queens, New York convinced 84-year-old Sue Livingstone of the VR technology’s value, even though she remains more mobile than many of her peers at The Terraces, situated in Silicon Valley roughly 55 miles south of San Francisco.
“It isn’t just about being able to see it again, it’s about all the memories that it brings back,” Livingstone stated. “Some residents here rarely step outside their routines. But if you can persuade them to come try a headset, they may discover they like it.”
According to Adrian Marshall, The Terraces’ community life director, after news of a VR session passes between residents, those who haven’t tried it usually grow interested enough to participate—even if it means skipping a round of Mexican Train, a popular domino-style game in the community.
“It becomes a topic of conversation for them. It genuinely brings people together,” Marshall said about the VR programming. “It helps build a bridge that allows them to see shared experiences and interests. It makes the virtual world feel real.”
Rendever, a private company headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, aims to expand its senior living platform with a new NIH grant of nearly $4.5 million to research methods for reducing loneliness for seniors at home and their caregivers.
Research indicates that VR programming, when used in moderation, can assist older adults in preserving and enhancing mental faculties, sharpening memories, and strengthening social ties with family and neighbors. Specialists note the technology should supplement, not replace, other pursuits.
“There is always a risk of too much screen time,” said Katherine “Kate” Dupuis, a neuropsychologist and professor specializing in aging at Canada’s Sheridan College. “But when applied thoughtfully and with intention, it can be very beneficial. It offers a chance for seniors to interact and share a feeling of amazement.”
Pallabi Bhowmick, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researcher studying VR use with seniors, noted that VR headsets could provide a more accessible technological interface for older people compared to smartphones or other gadgets that involve complex buttons.
“The misconception that seniors resist new technology must be revised because they are eager to adopt tools that are relevant to them,” Bhowmick stated. “Beyond offering stress relief, entertainment, and social links, there’s an intergenerational benefit that could improve bonds with younger relatives who think, ‘Grandpa is cool!’ upon discovering they use VR.”
Rendever CEO Kyle Rand was motivated to co-found the company in 2016 after studying neuroengineering at Duke University, driven by a desire to help his grandmother cope with the psychological difficulties of aging.
“What truly captivates me is the human brain’s deep reliance on social bonds and learning from others,” Rand explained. “A set of residents who are barely acquainted can join for a 30-minute shared VR experience and then end up having lunch together, still talking about what they saw.”
The market is substantial enough to support competition, with another VR provider, Dallas-based Mynd Immersive, offering similar services designed for senior living communities.
In addition to combating isolation, VR from both Rendever and Mynd is being used as a potential aid for slowing dementia’s negative progression. This is an application at another Silicon Valley retirement community, the Forum.
Bob Rogallo, a Forum resident with dementia that has taken his ability to speak, appeared to relish a virtual trek through Montana’s Glacier National Park, nodding and smiling during his 83rd birthday celebration with his wife of 61 years.
Sallie Rogallo, who does not have dementia, said the simulation evoked happy memories of their trips to that park over three decades of traveling the U.S. in their RV.
“It made me wish I was 30 years younger so I could do it again,” she remarked about the virtual tour. “This allows you to escape your everyday surroundings and explore somewhere new or revisit familiar spots.”
In a different Forum session, 93-year-old Almut Schultz chuckled joyfully while watching a virtual classical concert at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre and later seemed eager to interact with a puppy playing in her VR view.
“That was quite a session we had there,” Schultz said, beaming, after removing her headset.