{"id":12383067,"date":"2025-12-25T11:00:47","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T19:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/?p=12383067&#038;preview=true&#038;preview_id=12383067"},"modified":"2025-12-26T04:11:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T12:11:12","slug":"virtual-reality-opens-doors-for-older-people-to-build-closer-connections-in-real-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/2025\/12\/25\/virtual-reality-opens-doors-for-older-people-to-build-closer-connections-in-real-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Virtual reality opens doors for older people in South Bay retirement community to build closer connections in real life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, Associated Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>LOS GATOS \u2014 Like many retirement communities, The Terraces serves as a tranquil refuge for a nucleus of older people who no longer can travel to faraway places or engage in bold adventures.<\/p>\n<p>But they can still be thrust back to their days of wanderlust and thrill-seeking whenever caretakers at the community in Los Gatos, California, schedule a date for residents \u2014 many of whom are in their 80s and 90s \u2014 to take turns donning virtual reality headsets.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"related left\"><h2 class=\"widget-title\" data-curated-ids=\"\" data-relation-type=\"automatic-primary-tag\">Related Articles<\/h2><ul><li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/2025\/11\/11\/letters-state-leaders-stabilize-students-food-benefits\/\" title=\"Letters: Valley bosses&#8217; legacies will be bending the knee\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\">\n\t\t\tLetters: Valley bosses&#8217; legacies will be bending the knee\t\t<\/span>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/li><li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/2025\/11\/08\/senate-takes-first-step-toward-ending-the-government-shutdown\/\" title=\"Senate takes the first step toward ending the government shutdown, advancing a funding bill after weeks of gridlock\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\">\n\t\t\tSenate takes the first step toward ending the government shutdown, advancing a funding bill after weeks of gridlock\t\t<\/span>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/li><li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/2025\/11\/07\/weekend-session-gets-off-to-slow-start-in-senate-as-lawmakers-look-for-a-way-out-of-shutdown\/\" title=\"Weekend session gets off to slow start in Senate as lawmakers look for a way out of shutdown\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\">\n\t\t\tWeekend session gets off to slow start in Senate as lawmakers look for a way out of shutdown\t\t<\/span>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/li><li>\n\t\t\t<a class=\"article-title\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/2025\/10\/11\/chabria-they-cuffed-and-tackled-sen-alex-padilla-but-he-sees-a-bigger-crisis-ahead\/\" title=\"Chabria: They cuffed and tackled Sen. Alex Padilla. But he sees a bigger crisis ahead.\">\n\t\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dfm-title metered\">\n\t\t\tChabria: They cuffed and tackled Sen. Alex Padilla. But he sees a bigger crisis ahead.\t\t<\/span>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n<\/li><\/ul><\/aside>\n<p>Within a matter of minutes, the headsets can transport them to Europe, immerse them in the ocean depths or send them soaring on breathtaking hang-gliding expeditions while they sit by each other. The selection of VR programming was curated by Rendever, a company that has turned a sometimes isolating <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/seniors-artificial-intelligence-deepfake-education-classes-bc30958c273af7c79bfe77d321617738\">form of technology<\/a> into a catalyst for better cognition and social connections in 800 retirement communities in the United States and Canada.<\/p>\n<p>A group of The Terraces residents who participated in a VR session earlier this year found themselves paddling their arms alongside their chairs as they swam with a pod of dolphins while watching one of Rendever\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/technology-lifestyle-health-coronavirus-pandemic-business-9b451b836abe0641931939f053b46e05\">3D programs<\/a>. \u201cWe got to go underwater and didn\u2019t even have to hold our breath!\u201d exclaimed 81-year-old Ginny Baird following the virtual submersion.<\/p>\n<p>During a session featuring a virtual ride in a hot-air balloon, one resident gasped, \u201cOh my God!\u201d Another shuddered, \u201cIt\u2019s hard to watch!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Rendever technology can also be used to virtually take older adults back to the places <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/germany-holocaust-kristallnacht-claims-conference-07b8d0aae3182d3325f465f660573df8\">where they grew up<\/a> as children. For some, it will be the first time they\u2019ve seen their hometowns in decades.<\/p>\n<p>A virtual trip to her childhood neighborhood in New York City\u2019s Queens borough helped sell Sue Livingstone, 84, on the merits of the VR technology even though she still is able to get out more often than many residents of The Terraces, which is located in Silicon Valley about 55 miles south of San Francisco.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt isn\u2019t just about being able to see it again, it\u2019s about all the memories that it brings back,\u201d Livingstone said. \u201cThere are a few people living here who never really leave their comfort zones. But if you could entice them to come down to try out a headset, they might find that they really enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Adrian Marshall, The Terraces\u2019 community life director, said that once word about a VR experience spreads from one resident to another, more of the uninitiated typically become curious enough to try it out \u2014 even if it means missing out on playing Mexican Train, a dominoes-like board game that\u2019s popular in the community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt turns into a conversation starter for them. It really does connect people,\u201d Marshall said of Rendever\u2019s VR programming. \u201cIt helps create a human bridge that makes them realize they share certain similarities and interests. It turns the artificial world into reality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rendever, a privately owned company based in Somerville, Massachusetts, hopes to build upon its senior living platform with a recent grant from the National Institutes of Health that will provide nearly $4.5 million to study ways to reduce <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/loneliness-social-disconnection-community-building-23edcca171347383787170cc5072f85a\">social isolation<\/a> among seniors living at home and their caregivers.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/virtual-reality-seniors-florida-dementia-c2989fcfb5dca58639fbc0f8060d1eff\">Some studies<\/a> have found VR programming presented in a limited viewing format can help older people maintain and improve cognitive functions, burnish memories and foster social connections with their families and fellow residents of <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/adult-day-center-care-medicare-98943152ebfc62dd898262d93ca32e6f\">care facilities<\/a>. Experts say the technology may be useful as an addition to and not a replacement for other activities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is always a risk of too much screen time,\u201d Katherine \u201cKate\u201d Dupuis, a neuropsychologist and professor who studies aging issues at Sheridan College in Canada, said. \u201cBut if you use it cautiously, with meaning and purpose, it can be very helpful. It can be an opportunity for the elderly to engage with someone and share a sense of wonder.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>VR headsets may be an easier way for older people to interact with technology instead of fumbling around with a smartphone or another device that requires navigating buttons or other mechanisms, said Pallabi Bhowmick, a researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who is examining the use of VR with older adults.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe stereotypes that older adults aren\u2019t willing to try new technology needs to change because they are willing and want to adapt to technologies that are meaningful to them,\u201d Bhowmick said. \u201cBesides helping them to relieve stress, be entertained and connect with other people, there is an intergenerational aspect that might help them build their relationships with younger people who find out they use VR and say, \u2018Grandpa is cool!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rendever CEO Kyle Rand\u2019s interest in helping his own grandmother deal with the emotional and mental challenges of aging pushed him down a path that led him to cofound the company in 2016 after studying neuroengineering at Duke University.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat really fascinates me about humans is just how much our brain depends on social connection and how much we learn from others,\u201d Rand said. \u201cA group of elderly residents who don\u2019t really know each other that well can come together, spend 30 minutes in a VR experience together and then find themselves sitting down to have lunch together while continuing a conversation about the experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a large enough market that another VR specialist, Dallas-based Mynd Immersive, competes against Rendever with services tailored for <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/general-news-967b9b2288ccdd006fdce0148e6e575b\">senior living communities<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Besides helping <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/general-news-c2ba61a6d04d4efa8c0b12b6f58045c7\">create social connections<\/a>, the VR programming from both Rendever and Mynd has been employed as a possible tool for potentially slowing down the deleterious effects of dementia. That\u2019s how another Silicon Valley retirement village, the Forum, sometimes uses the technology.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Rogallo, a Forum resident with dementia that has rendered him speechless, seemed to be enjoying taking a virtual hike through Glacier National Park in Montana as he nodded and smiled while celebrating his 83rd birthday with his wife of 61 years.<\/p>\n<p>Sallie Rogallo, who doesn\u2019t have dementia, said the experience brought back fond memories of the couple\u2019s visits to the same park during the more than 30 years they spent cruising around the U.S. in their recreational vehicle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt made me wish I was 30 years younger so I could do it again,\u201d she said of the virtual visit to Glacier. \u201cThis lets you get out of the same environment and either go to a new place or visit places where you have been.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In another session at the Forum, 93-year-old Almut Schultz laughed with delight while viewing a virtual classical music performance at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado and later seemed to want to play with a puppy frolicking around in her VR headset.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was quite a session we had there,\u201d Schultz said with a big grin after she took off her headset and returned to reality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like many retirement communities, The Terraces in Los Gatos serves as a tranquil refuge for a nucleus of older people who no longer can travel to faraway places or engage in bold adventures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":292,"featured_media":12383068,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"subheadline":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[190,195,13645,172,13794,160,27655],"tags":[35239,25916,21484,14762,22724,20502,21105,660,267,13163],"feature":[],"location":[3,2,108,102,7],"type-of-work":[24457],"coauthors":[2078],"class_list":["post-12383067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-california-news","category-health","category-latest-headlines","category-lifestyle","category-local-news","category-news","category-things-to-do","tag-aging","tag-mental-health","tag-midday-wire","tag-photos-and-videos","tag-pm-report","tag-retirement","tag-senate","tag-seniors","tag-technology","tag-virtual-reality","location-bay-area","location-california","location-los-gatos","location-santa-clara-county","location-south-bay","type-of-work-news"],"post_status":"","edit_last":0,"edit_lock":0,"highlights":"","original_byline":"","original_canonical":"","original_category":"","original_email":"","original_id":0,"original_pubdate":"","original_source":"","primary_section":"13794","primary_tag":21105,"print_workflow_body":{"deck_headline":"","print_title":"","print_subheadline":"","print_planned_ready":"","print_pub_date":"","print_slug":"","print_content":"","print_budget_line":"","print_excerpt":"","print_notes":"","photo_limits":"Photo limits are: 1 featured image, 5 featured gallery images, 5 embedded gallery images and 5 in-article embedded images. 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(AP Photo\/Terry Chea)\n<\/div><\/div><\/li><li data-index=\"2\" class=\"mng-ge\" id=\"mng-ge-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><div class=\"image-wrapper\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Mike Holtshouse and his father, Jim Holtshouse, watch video through...\" class=\"lazyload size-article_inline\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_27988.jpg?w=620\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_27988.jpg?w=620 620w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_27988.jpg?w=780 780w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_27988.jpg?w=810 810w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_27988.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_27988.jpg?w=1860 1860w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_27988.jpg\"><div class=\"slide-credit\"><\/div><div class=\"slide-caption\">Mike Holtshouse and his father, Jim Holtshouse, watch video through Rendever virtual-reality headsets at the Forum at Rancho San Antonio retirement community in Cupertino, Calif. on June 11, 2025. (AP Photo\/Terry Chea)\n<\/div><\/div><\/li><li data-index=\"3\" class=\"mng-ge\" id=\"mng-ge-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><div class=\"image-wrapper\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Bob Rogallo watches video through a Rendever virtual-reality headset at...\" class=\"lazyload size-article_inline\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_82148.jpg?w=620\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_82148.jpg?w=620 620w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_82148.jpg?w=780 780w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_82148.jpg?w=810 810w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_82148.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_82148.jpg?w=1860 1860w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_82148.jpg\"><div class=\"slide-credit\"><\/div><div class=\"slide-caption\">Bob Rogallo watches video through a Rendever virtual-reality headset at the Forum at Rancho San Antonio retirement community in Cupertino, Calif. on June 11, 2025. (AP Photo\/Terry Chea)\n<\/div><\/div><\/li><li data-index=\"4\" class=\"mng-ge\" id=\"mng-ge-3\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><div class=\"image-wrapper\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Jim Holtshouse and his son, Mike Holtshouse, watch video through...\" class=\"lazyload size-article_inline\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_66686.jpg?w=620\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_66686.jpg?w=620 620w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_66686.jpg?w=780 780w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_66686.jpg?w=810 810w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_66686.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_66686.jpg?w=1860 1860w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_66686.jpg\"><div class=\"slide-credit\"><\/div><div class=\"slide-caption\">Jim Holtshouse and his son, Mike Holtshouse, watch video through Rendever virtual-reality headsets at the Forum at Rancho San Antonio retirement community in Cupertino, Calif. on June 11, 2025. (AP Photo\/Terry Chea)\n<\/div><\/div><\/li><li data-index=\"5\" class=\"mng-ge\" id=\"mng-ge-4\" aria-hidden=\"true\" tabindex=\"-1\"><div class=\"image-wrapper\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Rendever CEO Kyle Rand is pictured at Salesforce Park in...\" class=\"lazyload size-article_inline\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_17599.jpg?w=620\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_17599.jpg?w=620 620w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_17599.jpg?w=780 780w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_17599.jpg?w=810 810w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_17599.jpg?w=1280 1280w,https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_17599.jpg?w=1860 1860w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_17599.jpg\"><div class=\"slide-credit\"><\/div><div class=\"slide-caption\">Rendever CEO Kyle Rand is pictured at Salesforce Park in San Francisco on June 27, 2025. (AP Photo\/Terry Chea)\n<\/div><\/div><\/li><\/div><\/div><button id=\"mng-gallery-next\" class=\"mng-gallery-next mng-gallery-arrow\" aria-label=\"Next\" type=\"button\"><\/button><\/ul><div class=\"caption mng-gallery-information-container\"><button class=\"caption-expand mng-gallery-caption-expand\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-label=\"Show caption\">Show Caption<\/button><div class=\"slideshow-credit mng-gallery-image-credit\"><\/div><div class=\"slide-count\"><span class=\"current mng-gallery-current-image-number-display\">1<\/span> of <span class=\"total\">5<\/span><\/div><div class=\"slideshow-caption mng-gallery-image-caption\">Jim Holtshouse watches video through a Rendever virtual-reality headset at the Forum at Rancho San Antonio retirement community in Cupertino, Calif. on June 11, 2025. (AP Photo\/Terry Chea)\n<\/div><a href=\"#\" class=\"icon-enlarge mng-gallery-fullscreen-expand\" aria-label=\"Expand fullscreen slideshow\"><span>Expand<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>\n"},"attachments":[{"ID":12383068,"post_author":292,"post_name":"virtual_reality-senior_moments_98175","post_type":"attachment","post_title":"Virtual_Reality-Senior_Moments_98175","post_date":"2025-12-25 11:00:55","post_date_gmt":"2025-12-25 19:00:55","post_excerpt":"Jim Holtshouse watches video through a Rendever virtual-reality headset at the Forum at Rancho San Antonio retirement community in Cupertino, Calif. on June 11, 2025. 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