A new partnership will see the delivery of VR headsets to senior care facilities across all 50 states.
According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), older adults with preexisting medical conditions are prone to more serious complications as a result of the COVID-19 virus. It’s for this reason senior care facilities across the US have begun limiting access to only essential medical personnel, leaving many seniors cut off from friends and family.
Studies have shown the dramatic effects social isolation can have on the elderly; those suffering from loneliness have a 64% higher chance of dementia. To help mitigate the effects of this coronavirus induced lockdown, MyndVR, a custom VR platform specializing in senior-friendly content, has partnered with VR hardware provider Pico Interactive and 360 specialists Littlestar to deliver VR to senior care communities across the US 100% free-of-charge.
“We are so grateful to Pico Interactive and Littlstar for teaming up with us to donate this amazing, life-enriching program to seniors in care communities across the country,” said Chris Brickler, CEO of MyndVR, in an official release. “It’s important that the AR/VR industry steps up in this isolation crisis, and we plan to deliver MyndVR to communities in need in all 50 states.”
As part of the program, each senior living facility will receive a free Pico VR headset, training and support from MyndVR, and a 1-year subscription to senior-friendly content; casual travel experiences and historical content most likely. Perhaps even a few games featuring light interaction. Selected communities will also receive training on how to properly sanitize their headset between sessions as well as some additional alcohol wipes. Pico Interactive hardware features an easy-to-clean face insert, so it should be a fairly-straightforward process even for those with little to know VR experience.
“We are excited to be part of this initiative, to deploy our headsets to seniors across the country who are dealing with the effects of social isolation,” added Will Winston, Western Sales & Partnerships Director. “Our simple and easy-to-use design makes our hardware some the most durable and sanitizable solutions for virtual reality headsets on the market.”
US-based senior care communities interested in taking advantage of this new program can fill out an application over at myndvr.com/covid-19.
Image Credit: MyndVR / Pico Interactive / Littlestar
