Virtual Reality Offers Many Benefits for Seniors

Many people rely on vacations to decompress and relax from their everyday life. As seniors age, travel can become increasingly difficult due to chronic pain, health complications, or mobility issues.

The good news is seniors still can have exciting experiences and visit new places from their homes thanks to innovative technology. Virtual reality can transport seniors from their homes to locations they always dreamed of visiting, like Egypt, Disney World, Yellowstone National Park, Sicily, and much more.

“Virtual reality experiences add variety to seniors’ daily routines and help them visit new and exciting places,” said Daniel Frost, Executive Director at Wesley Enhanced Living Upper Moreland. “The technology has brought so much joy for our residents.”

Virtual reality, aside from providing fun experiences, can improve quality of life for seniors and offer significant health and wellness benefits. Virtual reality can:

• Alleviate physical aches and pains: Virtual travel allows seniors to take a break from their chronic pain and instead focus their attention on a vacation to exotic destinations without any physical discomfort from travel. Therefore, seniors with mobility issues can enjoy traveling again without the worry of arthritis or joint-related injuries and strains.
• Ease anxiety and depression: A virtual vacation can improve seniors’ mental health. The sensory experience generated by virtual reality can improve someone’s mood significantly. Older adults that can’t physically travel much and are limited to the surroundings of their home due to health-related issues can benefit greatly from virtual reality vacations through decreased feelings of anxiety and depression.
• Let seniors visit familiar places: With virtual reality, seniors can visit not only new places, but also familiar places that are meaningful to them. Through the combined technologies of virtual reality and Google Maps, virtual reality can improve memory by helping seniors recall meaningful places and experiences.
• Reduce elderly social isolation: For older adults, loneliness and social isolation can put them at a higher risk for physical and mental conditions. However, with the emergence of virtual reality vacations, there is a new way to combat these illnesses. By travelling virtually, seniors can reduce their feelings of isolation and feel more connected to the world.

Senior living communities like Wesley Enhanced Living Upper Moreland also build upon virtual reality experiences by providing cuisine and themed entertainment to complement the virtual destination. Virtual reality, combined with the support of committed colleagues at senior living communities, provides older adults with meaningful experiences that can improve their overall physical and mental health.

The non-profit Wesley Enhanced Living (WEL) continuing care communities have a dedicated mission to deliver a purpose-filled life to residents. Serving over 1,100 residents with more than 1,200 employees throughout Pennsylvania, the Wesley Enhanced Living communities located in Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties provide various combinations of independent living, personal care services, memory care, and rehabilitation and skilled nursing services. Wesley Enhanced Living has been named a Great Place to Work® in 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018.