Hebrew Home at Riverdale Launches Virtual Reality Program
Residents of the Hebrew Home at Riverdale are experiencing the wonder and excitement of virtual reality in a new expansive technology initiative.
RiverSpring Living's Hebrew Home at Riverdale, the iconic Bronx-based long-term care community, announced today a major push into technology with an expansive augmented and virtual reality initiative for its 600+ residents.
Residents of the Hebrew Home at Riverdale are experiencing a new virtual reality program through a partnership with Boston-based Rendever. Rendever, a leading provider of virtual reality services to the healthcare industry, has created a custom VR experience for the Hebrew Home community, transporting older adults around the world.
This VR effort is making the impossible possible. The limitations of age and physical fragility, in addition to the impact of COVID, has reduced and, in many cases, prevented residents of the Hebrew Home from traveling outside of the campus. Virtual reality has opened the doors of possibility to change that.
This technology is being used in a variety of initiatives:
Globetrotting Near and Far
Residents are being transported to the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China and to the neighborhoods where they grew up. Because of technology, there is no limitation to where and when they can explore.
Attending Family Gatherings … Virtually
The Hebrew Home is equipping family members of its long-term care residents with GoPro cameras to film weddings, graduations, little league games and other important family events and gatherings.
Footage is uploaded to the VR headsets and shared with residents. Trained therapists work with residents, talking about the meaning of the family event, how they feel, and memories of spending time with them when they were younger.
Easing the Agitation of Dementia
Preliminary usage of VR at the Hebrew Home indicates that residents suffering from early stages of dementia are engaged and demonstrate increased attention and decreased agitation when using VR headsets that display family or calming images.
Preparing for Home After Rehab
Families of rehab patients are provided GoPro cameras to film each room in the home. These videos are uploaded to a virtual reality headset so that the patient can virtually walk through each room. Therapists can see the room on an accompanying iPad, helping the patient navigate. If changes need to be made — such as removing rugs to prevent falls, opening more space between a couch and table for a walker or wheelchair to get through, the therapist provides feedback before the patient heads home.
Augmented and virtual reality is creating worlds to see and meet people beyond the Hebrew Home's Riverdale campus. With this new technology initiative, Hebrew Home residents are just a headset away from endless possibilities.
About RiverSpring Living
RiverSpring Living, backed by over 100 years of top-rated service as the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, provides progressive care to over 18,000 older adults of all faiths through compassionate care and vibrant community engagement, and is guided by Jewish values and a non-profit mission that advocates and celebrates a vision of empowered aging.
Contact:
Wendy Steinberg
718-581-1253 / 347-988-4446
Contact Information:
Wendy Steinberg
Vice President of Communications
wendy.steinberg@riverspring.org
718-581-1253
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Original Source: RiverSpring Living's Hebrew Home at Riverdale Announces Major Focus on Augmented and Virtual Reality Initiatives to Enhance Quality of Life for Its Residents
