Virtual Reality at Insight

A New Way to Engage

Insight Memory Care Center is excited to begin a virtual reality program – the first of its kind – to boost engagement, mental wellness, and quality of life for participants in our adult day health center.

“We are always looking for innovative ways to engage our participants in our day programs. When we were first looking at the option of virtual reality, our staff was quickly on board when we realized all the possibilities for our participants to reminisce, connect, and engage with each other in new ways."

 - Anita Irvin, Executive Director

To make this vision a “reality,” we have partnered with Viva Vita.

Viva Vita, a national leading provider of virtual reality (VR) for seniors, delivers a solution to take levels of resident engagement to new heights by offering exciting and enriching virtual experiences seen through virtual reality headsets.

The program offers many different types of trips to various locations around the world such as trips to Cairo, Paris and Ireland, and locales around the U.S. Virtual trips to relaxing scenes in nature, musical concerts, and art museums are also available. You can see in the video above that participants were visiting Majorca! Our staff are able to specialize the experience based the participant’s specific personality, memories, and interests.

“It’s amazing to see how our participants come alive using the virtual reality system. They are immersed in the experience just as if they’re really on the beach or visiting another favorite place. We can truly personalize the experience for each of our participants.”

 - Jessica Peters, Assistant Director

Virtual reality (VR) has been demonstrated to be a powerful tool in the hands of senior living providers through numerous studies conducted by the National Institute of Health, the National Science Foundation, and many universities including MIT AgeLab, which tested the effectiveness of VR on conditions such as anxiety and depression, social isolation, and chronic pain. The tool is quickly becoming a new standard of care in senior living.

Virtual reality activities from Viva Vita have been added to our regular activity calendars where participants can travel together virtually. We also use the headsets for one-on-one sessions with participants for more focused engagement.

“This is just the beginning of what is possible for aging Americans in virtual reality…we will certainly continue to see growth in this area,”

 - Carleigh Berryman, Viva Vita founder

Learn more about bringing virtual tours to your community or home at www.VivaVita.org.

This program at Insight Memory Care Center was funded by a grant provided by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) and Northrop Grumman ECHO Workplace Giving. Many thanks for making this possible!