SYLVANIA, Ohio — Virtual reality may at first seem like a development tailored to younger generations. But now, senior living communities are taking the technology and using it to reboot their health and wellness.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo has partnered with senior living communities to offer scuba diving, sky diving, biking and more; all from the comfort of a seat.
"Many of them carry dementia," Ben Malczewski, vice president of the federation, said. "Maybe they feel shut off from the world, maybe they are lonely, maybe they are living in isolation socially, so this is a way to bring people together and have a shared immersive experience."
Malczewski said the virtual reality opportunity is not just for exciting experiences, but also to let the seniors take a walk down memory lane.
"They can walk down their childhood street," Malczewski said. "We had a couple that we took them back to where they had a wedding ceremony at this park and we were able to kind of flesh out that memory for them."
Donald Gorrell, 98, moved into the Kingston Residence, a senior living community in Sylvania, more than five years ago with his wife Barbara. She has since passed away and now he wants to live out her wish of visiting Yosemite.
"Well, it's one of those places that my wife and I had on our visitation list, but we were never able to make it for many reasons but age primarily," Gorrell said.
The workshops were created with a $100,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Aging to see if technology can help seniors live longer and more independently.
Gorrell is embracing the opportunity.
"You got to let your imagination run wild to recognize that what you're seeing is reality but it's different than what you have ever seen before," he said.
It's not every day a 98-year-old gets to drive a race car and run with wild deer, but virtual reality and the state grant are making that possible. The grant was also used for new Amazon Echo devices in senior homes, giving them virtual assistance.