Having a loved one with dementia can be incredibly challenging. The people you once knew can now seem unfamiliar, and words that you used to say with ease are now elusive. It can be as the world you once knew has been completely upended, leaving you wanting something familiar to hold onto.
Now virtual reality is proving to be a remarkable activity for seniors with dementia. By connecting them to the past through music, photos, movies allowing seniors to reminisce and engage in their long-term memories that often remain intact. This new approach is showing remarkable results in engaging seniors with dementia.
Skip Rizzo, a director for medical virtual reality at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies, has been using the technology to help veterans with PTSD. Mr Rizzo is not extending his efforts to seniors starting with his own 89-year-old mother. During a virtual trip to Rome, she was showing reactions of delight and demonstrated the profound impact this technology can have on seniors.
Mr Rizzo recently had an opportunity to visit a nursing home and noticed a remarkable transformation in the atmosphere. As he entered a room, he saw a group of residents sitting at a table in silence. However once he started to show them flashcard-like pictures of objects from the past something amazing happened. The seniors started sharing memories with each other and the room became filled with happiness and animated conversation. By seeing this Mr Rizzo was able to realize the immense potential that low-tech tools, like simple pictures, have in bringing happiness to our loved ones. Now with high-tech options like virtual reality now available to us, just imagine the possibilities for creating even more joy and enriching experiences for seniors.
The benefits of virtual reality for seniors extend even further than boosting memory and bringing joy and happiness including:
- Improved Medical Care- Virtual reality has proven to be a valuable tool for our loved ones, offering relief from physical pain and helps improve balance, motor skills and spatial reasoning. Additionally, doctors are now using virtual reality to observe senior responses in games and activities, helping to detect health issues.
- Heightened Socialization- Isolated seniors is a significant issue that can lead to various physical and mental health problems. Recent studies by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, shows that one in four seniors are experiencing social isolation. It is important to address this problem and provide support to our loved ones to improve their overall well-being.
Want to explore more creative options to improve the quality of life for a senior you love? Contact our experts in senior care in Windsor and Essex Country at 519-915-4370 to learn more!
