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https://www.euronews.com/next/2024/02/19/soaring-over-hills-or-playing-with-puppies-study-finds-seniors-enjoy-virtual-reality>
'Retired Army Col. Farrell Patrick taught computer science at West Point during
the 1970s and then at two private universities through the 1990s, so he isn't
surprised by the progress technology has made over the decades.
But when the 91-year-old got his first virtual reality experience recently, he
was stunned. Sitting in a conference room at John Knox Village, a suburban Fort
Lauderdale, Florida, retirement community, Patrick sat up straight as his eyes
and ears experienced what it would be like to be in a Navy fighter jet flying
off the Florida coast.
“Oh my God, that's beautiful,” he blurted before the VR program brought the jet
in for a landing on an aircraft carrier.
John Knox Village was one of 17 senior communities around the country that
participated in a recently published Stanford University study that found that
large majorities of 245 participants between 65 and 103 years old enjoyed
virtual reality, improving both their emotions and their interactions with
staff.
The study is part of a larger effort to adapt VR so it can be beneficial to
seniors' health and emotional well-being and help lessen the impact dementia
has on some of them.
During the testing, seniors picked from seven-minute virtual experiences such
as parachuting, riding in a tank, watching stage performances, playing with
puppies and kittens or visiting places like Paris or Egypt. The participants
wore headsets that gave them 360-degree views and sounds, making it seem like
they had been all but dropped into the actual experience.
“It brought back memories of my travels and ... brought back memories of my
experience growing up on a farm," said Terry Colli, a former public relations
director at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., of his 2022 experience.
Colli, 76, liked swiveling in a chair to get a panoramic view. “That was kind
of amazing.”
Anne Selby, a 79-year-old retired counselor and artist, found VR “stimulated
virtually every area of my brain, all of the senses."
"I particularly enjoyed the ones dealing with pets because I have a cat and
I’ve had pets most of my life," she said.'
Via Rixty Dixet.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
