NYC seniors are skydiving, hiking the Alps and traveling the world — all while warding off dementia — with VR
NY Post
On a summer afternoon when most New Yorkers were chaining themselves to the nearest air conditioner, the residents of the New Jewish Home on West 106th Street were enjoying a very active day.
There was the trip to Broadway, a cuddle with puppies, a diving adventure on the high seas and skydiving above the Swiss Alps — and all without breaking a sweat.
For Walter Delascasas, 77, the highlight of the day’s adventures was a nostalgic visit to the street in Havana where he grew up.
It was all still there — he was even able to “recognize the trees” from when he was a kid.
Delascasas and his neighbors were able to effortlessly travel the world — and still be home in time for dinner — with a little help from virtual reality company Mynd Immersive, which believes that the technology assumed to rot younger generations’ minds can boost the brains of the elderly.
And pixels aren’t just for kids: New Jewish is one of 60 nursing facilities in New York and New Jersey where the “Great American Elderverse,” as Mynd bills it, will fully roll out in the coming months as part of an initiative to improve senior citizens’ cognition and quality of life.
