Vision & Virtual Reality: A Rendever Success Story

Stephanie Stallings has always had a soft spot for seniors. After working as a chef for 13 years, both for a five-star catering company and then for her own traveling business, she sought out a new opportunity to give back to those who helped create this country. Inspired by her own experience with her grandmother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease, she joined the world of senior living, starting as an activity director in LeisureCare, and now leading activities with The Palms at La Quinta, a Hawthorn Senior Living community in Palm Springs, CA. Today she works along the aging spectrum to lead engagement across all acuity levels of her community.

One of Stephanie’s greatest passions is exploring new avenues of engagement for her residents. She has done extensive research over the years into virtual reality’s influence on seniors, so when she came across Rendever in 2019, she tried it for herself and knew she had to bring the platform to her community. She was curious to see how a diverse program empowered by a platform like ours would positively affect all of her residents, from independent living to memory care. She’s done a phenomenal job. Take a look at this video to see how Rendever has impacted some special residents Stephanie has worked with: 

Research has shown that nearly one in 30 Americans over the age of 40 experience some type of vision impairment, most of which is significant enough to not be corrected by glasses, contact lenses, medication, or surgery. Studies are needed to fully understand what is happening here, but early research shows promising results that support the use of assistive devices like VR to create amazing moments like the one we just saw. 

From our founding in 2016, Rendever has focused on overcoming social isolation through the power of virtual reality and shared positive experiences. With stories like this coming from our community partners, we are always curious to explore and understand all the ways VR can impact older adults. Our existing clinical research has shown significant increases in positive emotions with residents, relationships with family members, and overall quality of life. The impact on emotional and mental health is clear, and our continued research efforts will expand on how we can enhance what we offer to benefit more and more people.

So what does this mean for us in the meantime? The stories we receive from community members like Stephanie show that we are on the right track. Our current modules have given several residents who have visual impairments the ability to check items off their bucket list and engage with others around them without being held back by their sensory limitations. The active research happening across the industry further supports our mission and opens the door to discover ways our platform can assist residents with physical disabilities.

As we work to empower more moments like this, we continue to keep our eyes open and ears perked to new information and heart-warming stories from our partners. We’re thankful for incredible Rendever community members like Stephanie, who have seen the impact firsthand and sing our praises to others in the senior living industry. Want to see what Rendever can do for your community? Click the button below to set up time to chat with our sales team, and be sure to email us at sales@rendever.com with any questions!