Retired Army Col. Farrell Patrick taught computer science at West Point in the 1970s and at two private universities in the 1990s. So he's not surprised at the advances technology has made over the decades.
But when the 91-year-old recently had his first virtual reality experience, he was stunned. Sitting in a conference room at John Knox Village, a retirement community suburb in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Patrick sat upright as his eyes and ears experienced what it would be like to sit in a Navy fighter jet off the coast of Florida flew.
“Oh my God, this is beautiful,” he blurted out before the VR program brought the jet to land on an aircraft carrier.
John Knox Village was one of 17 senior communities across the country to participate in a recently released project Stanford University study It found that a large majority of the 245 participants, aged between 65 and 103, enjoyed virtual reality, which improved both their emotions and their interactions with employees.
The study is part of a larger effort to adapt VR so that it can have a positive impact on the health and emotional well-being of older people and help mitigate the effects of dementia on some of them.
During the test, seniors chose seven-minute virtual experiences such as skydiving, driving a tank, watching stage performances, playing with puppies and kittens, or visiting places like Paris or Egypt. Participants wore headsets that gave them 360-degree views and sounds, making it appear as if they were in the middle of the actual experience.
“It brought back memories of my travels and … memories of my experience growing up on a farm,” Terry Colli, a former public relations director for the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., said of his experience in 2022. Colli, 76, loved spinning around in a chair to get a panoramic view. “That was kind of amazing.”
Anne Selby, a 79-year-old retired consultant and artist, found that VR “stimulates virtually every area of my brain, every sense.”
“I particularly enjoyed the classes dealing with pets because I have a cat and have had pets most of my life,” she said.
The peer-reviewed study, conducted by Stanford in collaboration with the company Mynd Immersive, found that nearly 80% of seniors had a more positive outlook after their VR session and nearly 60% said they felt less socially isolated. For older respondents whose eyesight and hearing had deteriorated, enjoyment diminished somewhat. Those who enjoyed VR less were also more likely to dislike technology in general.
Additionally, nearly 75% of nurses reported that residents' moods improved after using VR. More than 80% of residents and nearly 95% of caregivers said that discussing their VR experience improved their relationships with one another.
“For the majority of our respondents, it was their first time using virtual reality. They enjoyed it. They would probably recommend it to others and look forward to doing it again,” said Ryan Moore, a Stanford doctoral student who co-led the research.
“We are proving that VR is a tool that truly contributes to the well-being of our seniors,” said Chris Brickler, CEO and co-founder of Mynd. The Texas-based company is one of the few that specializes in virtual reality for seniors. “It’s very different than a two-dimensional TV or an iPad.”
Separate from the study, John Knox Village is using virtual reality in its unit that houses seniors with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. It helps stimulate memories that lead to conversations with caregivers.
“It's like they come back to life when they tell their story,” said Hana Salem, coordinator of the Center for Meaningful Living. She said others who don't talk much get excited when they experience a VR experience in nature.
“They'll start laughing and say, 'Oh, I'm going to catch the butterflies,'” Salem said. Catching butterflies is also part of a game developed by Mynd that helps seniors improve their mobility and flexibility when standing and reaching for objects.
“For these seniors, it’s more fun to come over, catch butterflies and work on shoulder rehabilitation than lifting a weight,” Brickler said.
Brickler said his company's systems will be connected soon Google On Earth, seniors can virtually visit the neighborhoods they have lived in, the schools they have attended and the places they have visited, leading to further conversations with caregivers.
Such virtual visits “can bring back an incredible amount of joy and an incredible amount of memories. And if the therapist or other caregiver can work with that older adult and talk about the things that we're seeing, then we definitely see that there's an uplift,” Brickler said.
The company addressed the biggest complaints seniors in the study had about VR — the headsets were too heavy, the heat they produced made their foreheads sweat and sometimes the experience caused nausea, he said. The new headsets weigh about 189 grams instead of 454 grams, have a built-in fan for cooling and the videos are not as jerky.
The findings that seniors in their 80s and 90s enjoy VR less than those in their 70s could lead to changes for them, such as turning their necks less to see the entire scene and increasing the size of images, Moore said.
On a recent afternoon at John Knox, a handful of seniors living independently took their turns in virtual reality again. Pete Audet experienced what it would be like to fly over majestic mountains in a wingsuit before landing in a field.
“Oooh, stop running!” exclaimed Audet, a 76-year-old retired computer scientist. He believes other seniors “will really enjoy it. But they just need to learn to use it.”
His wife, Karen, was “playing” with the puppies and was so fascinated by their virtual walk through Paris that she didn’t hear anyone asking her questions.
“I was there. But I was here!” said Karen Audet, an 82-year-old retired elementary school teacher.
Farrell, the retired Army computer expert, said he hopes to live to 100 because he believes there will be significant changes in VR in the next five years. He is still passionate about technology and believes that the cost of systems will drop dramatically and become part of everyday life even for seniors.
“It won't be as easy as it is now. It will be very realistic and very responsive,” he said. “It will probably be connected to your brain.”