How virtual reality is helping seniors "travel the world," experience new things

Channel: CBS News

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] It may look like a gaming convention for

[0:03] baby boomers. You

[0:04] >> let me know when it's comfortable.

[0:05] >> But at this California Senior Center,

[0:07] virtual reality headsets are providing a

[0:09] window to the world. From skydiving

[0:12] >> to the International Space Station,

[0:15] 79year-old Barbara Heyman Weed was eager

[0:17] to join in.

[0:18] >> So now I'm traveling without having to

[0:21] spend any money.

[0:22] >> But the potential goes beyond free

[0:24] vacations. Mind Immersive. We've

[0:25] reimagined virtual reality away from the

[0:27] sort of teenage gaming console.

[0:29] >> Chris Prickler is with Mind Immersive,

[0:32] working with health care professionals

[0:33] to incorporate this technology at

[0:35] nursing homes, VA hospitals, and health

[0:37] clinics.

[0:38] >> I've had just countless older adults

[0:40] that have some sort of dementia, and

[0:43] I'll take them to Paris or to Canada or

[0:46] Australia, someplace that's special to

[0:48] them. It unlocks memories like we've

[0:50] never seen before. A 2025 study found

[0:53] that immersive VR use was associated

[0:55] with decreased depression and anxiety in

[0:58] older adults while improving

[0:59] psychological well-being.

[1:01] >> They kind of lift that person out of

[1:03] their four walls of their existence and

[1:04] can reconnect them with nature, with

[1:06] music, with art, all these beautiful uh

[1:09] energies on our planet that become a

[1:12] little less accessible as people age.

[1:15] >> For Barbara, it offers continued

[1:16] connection with the world around her. Oh

[1:18] yeah,

[1:20] tremendously.

[1:21] >> What do you get out of it?

[1:23] >> I get a feeling of of not being alone. A

[1:27] virtual platform showing real life

[1:29] benefits. Gwen Bumgardner, CBS News, Los

[1:32] Angeles.