MyndVR In the News

Virtual reality isn’t just for gamers. The same technology that lets users battle monsters in mythical worlds has proven useful for everything from overcoming phobias and practicing surgical procedures to getting a look inside the International Space Station.

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Now, VR headsets are showing up in senior living and memory care facilities in the United States and abroad, giving elderly people a chance to experience the sights and sounds of distant places, enjoy moments from their past and explore experiences that for reasons of age or poor health are physically inaccessible in real life.

Residents at the Tennessee State Veterans' Home in Murfreesboro are traveling the world without leaving the building.Using MyndVR headsets, veterans can skydive, drive a race car, play with puppies or stand on stage at a Broadway show.

"It has a big impact on the residents and the quality of life they have," said Ed Harries, the executive director.There are hundreds of videos that come with MyndVR. They are all designed with seniors in mind.

Chris Brickler, co-founder of Dallas-based virtual reality company MyndVR, is hoping that VR headsets will help adults like May retrieve or replicate memorable moments in their lives. The company specializes in the use of virtual reality for aging adults in assisted living communities. 

Patrick May remembered that he used to scuba dive and asked an assistant to place him in a scuba simulation. He used to enjoy diving off the Texas coast. 

The simulation took him once again, diving off a small boat into blue water. “Wow, what’s all that stuff?” May said, pivoting his head in every direction and pushing his wheelchair around the room to different areas of the virtual environment lined with fish, coral and the occasional turtle.

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Benedictine Health System, a nationally recognized, Catholic, non-profit senior living system announced today a partnership with MyndVR, the nation’s leading provider of virtual reality solutions for senior care communities.

“Benedictine is pleased to partner with MyndVR and bring cutting-edge virtual reality technology to our communities,” said Jerry Carley, Benedictine president and CEO. “By embracing virtual reality, Benedictine can provide staff with innovative training to support compassionate, empathetic interactions with their residents as well as a resource for bringing holistic interventions to residents.”

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After whispers, trials, pilots and promise, virtual reality now seems on the precipice of a boom in senior housing.

A bevy of VR companies have arrived to give operators new solutions to age-old challenges, including resident isolation, dementia support and pain management.

Partnerships with major VR content creators, along with VR vendor studios, are leading to a cornucopia of content that can be customized for resident needs. And the work being done is just the beginning.

MyndVR, the nation’s leading provider of virtual reality solutions for senior care communities, announced today the launch of MyndVR 2.0. In partnership with HTC’s VIVE X accelerator, MyndVR is deploying Vive’s standalone Focus headsets to provide easy-to-use, all-in-one immersive experiences for seniors and care partners.

Recreational therapist Carrie Wilson started to do her research, and found virtual reality helps dementia patients significantly. “Being able to use virtual reality as a therapy tool to be the first go to rather than a medication when residents are showing signs of agitation, depression and anxiety,” says Carrie Wilson.

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MyndVR, a tech, health and wellness company specializing in virtual reality solutions for people 55-plus, is pleased to announce the formation of the MyndVR Science Advisory Board and a national research coalition involving universities across the nation. MyndVR has deployed its technology in more than 18 states serving tens of thousands of seniors.

MyndVR aims to put smiles on seniors’ faces through Virtual Reality experiences that enable them to relive meaningful memories and/or visit places outside of their normal environments (think outer space, the Great Wall of China, or the Fjords of Norway). The concept has been wildly popular with seniors in trial populations who enjoyed the ability to step outside of their physical limitations and have a bit of fun. Within the first six months of launching in 2018, MyndVR has expanded to over 15 states and has started collaborating with leading universities to research the potential cognitive health benefits of using VR with aging populations.

"The LI State Veterans Home is always looking for unique and innovative ways to enhance the quality of life of our veterans", said Fred Sganga, Executive Director.   "Through this unique virtual reality solution, our residents will be able to live, or re-live experiences, that will enhance their quality of life in ways otherwise not possible.  The MyndVR system will provide an immersive experience for our veterans, transporting them to places beyond the walls of a nursing home. We are thrilled to offer this state-of-the-art technology to all those we are honored to serve."

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--  MyndVR, the national leader in providing virtual reality (VR) solutions for senior living communities, and Littlstar, a global content network dedicated to virtual reality, 360-degree video and immersive experiences, are pleased to announce an exclusive partnership to deliver VR content to older adults

NBC DFW covers the JD Miller's art performance on the MyndVR network.   

PALM BEACH GARDENS — Leopold “Bud” Weidlein, 99, wondered how far down he was diving Wednesday morning as he encountered tropical, red fish. Sitting — yes, sitting — next to him, Marvin Greenberg took in the sight of of Michelangelo’s David statue in Florence.

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - "So we kind of came together and said what if we created a really innovative solution for seniors and virtual reality," Brickler said.

“The thing that’s phenomenally interesting to me is the teleportation capabilities of this technology to bring people back to a time period that they feel comfortable with,” Chris Brickler says. “We want to transport the senior who is in Iowa or Florida or California or wherever back to a 1967-ish time, when the styles were really transforming.

MyndVR partners with La Posada in Palm Beach Gardens to implement VR.  

CEO Chris Brickler delivers a glimpse into the future of Virtual Reality and the aging mind at TED

"I have never seen so many seniors as joyful as they have been since experiencing this VR tour.  It's incredible!  Thank You! Thank you! Thank You! We love building our seniors a new future."

PLANO -- The residents at The Legacy at Willow Bend have been busy the last month. The men and women of the retirement community have gone deep sea diving, out to jazz clubs and even inside some of the most famous paintings in the world, all courtesy of virtual reality.

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"Virtualy reality really isn't just for 23-year-old gamers anymore," Brickler says.

Encore at Avalon Park in Orlando, FLA is the third senior residence in the country to test the virtual-reality system created by MyndVR, a Dallas start-up whose partners are Samsung and the University of Texas at Dallas.

The Legacy Willow Bend and the Dallas-based VR company conducted a field trial on the health benefits to seniors of the technology.

“I think one of the things that was interesting to me about VR was not trying to satisfy the twenty three year old gamer,” Brickler tells me over the phone. “We would actually try to create a healing health care solution with this technology that would actually serve the good of all of humankind.”

SAVVY SENIOR LIVING PROVIDERS understand that creating an environment that engages the mind and imagination is a key to happy and contented residents. However, a hard reality for most senior providers is that some residents still face feelings of isolation, which can result in anxiety and depression. 

“There are three ideas behind what these VR experiences allow these users,” Dr. Ryan McMahan said. “Either they’ll see something they’ve experienced before, which could bring about memories; experience a place they’ve never seen before, which engages the brain; or experience something that’s completely impossible — the unique domain of virtual reality.”

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