Riverside Lifelong Health (LLH) is running a pilot program to promote virtual reality (VR) glasses as therapy and entertainment in the long-term care community, starting with residents who cannot leave the building or are unable to move.

The VR program was launched in Warwick Forest and will be rolled out to all locations this spring after the team completes training. Clinicians will also provide glasses for home care.

Assistants and patients wearing headphones can enjoy 3D videos of various places or events. The choices may be based on the person’s background, hobbies, or activities that evoke good memories.

For example, someone who likes to fish can get on a moving boat and watch the ocean, listen to the river or the desert. Pet lovers can play with the purring kitten. An avid traveler can embark on another adventure abroad.

“You really do feel as if you’re in another world,” says Victor Hudleston, an Administrator-in-Training leading the effort. “This technology provides a fun and calming escape and, in the case of negative behaviors, often is very effective for redirection.”

Riverside maintains a library of free online videos, many of which are beautiful local photos taken with a drone camera by Greg Gernon, a music editor who helps collaborate with Riverside Cancer Care’s VR program. YouTube also has a variety of VR videos.

In the future, LLH could look at adding VR options for facility tours and support groups, Hudleston notes: “We’re excited that there are so many potential avenues to benefit our residents and their families.”

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