Virtual reality’s ability to give users a sense of presence by stimulating the visual, auditory, and vestibular systems allows them to experience new and remembered-or forgotten-experiences like never before,” said Aaron Tate, director of emerging technology at the University of Texas at Dallas’s Center for BrainHealth. “Any activity that promotes curiosity, critical thinking, and meaningful social engagement is good for the brain’s health and fitness. The potential for VR to help in combating these problems lies in the technology’s effects on the mind, though much research remains to be done to prove its efficacy. Of course, the effects of loneliness on seniors can come on top of the usual litany of aging-related ailments, including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It has been associated with, for example, a 29 percent greater risk of heart disease and a 32 percent greater risk of stroke. But social isolation comes with its own significant medical costs. That long-standing phenomenon has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic because seniors are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus, and many older adults have been kept physically separated from family and friends to safeguard their health. The company claims such content can provide more than entertainment: it can also serve as therapy to ward off the effects of social isolation and the physical toll of aging.Īs many Americans age, their worlds and their social networks shrink. It offers virtual experiences that range from playing with a litter of puppies to visiting Paris to attending a Broadway show. MyndVR is one of relatively few VR tech firms targeting the senior set. Virtual reality, with its bulky headsets and controllers, is most often associated with young gamers, who have plenty of companies chasing after their dollars.
The scene they jumped into was filmed in 360 degrees-capturing the view in every possible direction-and brought here by MyndVR, a company headquartered a short drive away, in neighboring Plano. The octogenarian Meadors have virtual reality goggles strapped to their heads, and they’re sitting on a couch at the Saddle Brook Memory Care Community, in Frisco. Only, in reality, there is no parachute and no plane. She giggles, leans her head back, and raises her hands out to her sides before the parachute deploys and delivers her safely to the ground. As she plummets downward, Masako cries, “Oh no! Oh my goodness!” but soon gets into the spirit. They’ve never been skydiving, and while Harry is enthusiastic, Masako seems hesitant. Harry Meador and his wife of 58 years, Masako Meador, are about to jump out of a plane.
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