Gurwin Immersion Room Wins LI Imagine Awards for Healthcare Innovation: 'Truly Honored'

COMMACK, NY — Gurwin Healthcare Systems’ Immersion Room recently took home top prize in the Innovation Category in the 13th Annual Long Island Imagine Awards, the Commack-based healthcare system announced.

Designed for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, Gurwin’s Immersion Room was lauded for delivering immersive virtual reality experiences that enhance resident quality of life.

The Immersion Room incorporates state-of-the-art projector technology, custom-made props and immersive experiences with stimulating sights, sounds and scents to engage the senses, mitigate symptoms and stir memories from bygone days. Calming scenes are customized to match resident interests, such as a snowy forest, quiet chair yoga, a lively, hands-on virtual drive, or even a roller coaster experience for thrill-seeking residents.

The annual Imagine Awards competition was created by Cerini & Associates LLP to showcase the good work being done by Long Island’s nonprofit sector. The region’s top organizations are selected to receive the prestigious recognition in the following competitive categories: Arts & Culture, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility (DEIA), Innovation, Leadership Excellence, Rising Star and Social Impact.

The Innovation Award, sponsored by Flagstar Private Bank, is given to the nonprofit that has been innovative in adopting new platforms that have led to a significant increase in the organization’s ability to meet its mission.

"We are truly honored to be the recipient of the Flagstar Innovation Award," said Stuart B. Almer, president and CEO of Gurwin Healthcare System, in a news release. "The Gurwin Immersion Room is bringing patient-centric care to a whole new level for our residents, helping to ease dementia symptoms as well as creating new memorable experiences for visiting families and their loved ones. We are literally putting our residents back in the driver’s seat, helping them reconnect with parts of themselves that in some cases have been lost for years. It is our goal to roll out this transformative technology throughout our other communities within the Gurwin Healthcare System."

The Gurwin Immersion Room, located in the heart of the Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center’s Memory Care Unit, is the "first of its kind in long-term care on Long Island," according to Gurwin.

The room was made possible through collaboration with Besser Rooms of Amityville, as well as grant support from the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.