Virtual reality lets veterans travel the world without leaving their Long Island nursing home

Some senior veterans on Long Island are travelling the world again without leaving their nursing home.

Virtual reality is giving them adventures they thought were behind them, while also helping reduce stress and isolation.

"It takes me to a different world"

Mynd Immersive created the VR, which was specially designed for older adults. Long Island State Veterans Home at Stony Brook University was the first in the nation to use it in its therapy, and now it's the first with a more interactive and realistic upgrade.

"What we like to say is, 'Where would you like to go today?' You get to leave the walls of the nursing home," said Jonathan Spier, deputy executive director at the Long Island State Veterans Home. "We can link six units together, so we can do a trip together ... We can go down the streets of Paris, France."

From his wheelchair, in a facility he hasn't left in more than two years, Air Force veteran Bill Bornhoeft can skydive. Army veteran Naomi Sawyer can go under the sea with sharks. Vietnam veteran Gene Faber can head back to the lanes, 25 years after his last bowling alley visit.

"It takes me instantly to a different world ... an enjoyable world," Bornhoeft said.

"It was so realistic," Sawyer said. "It takes you away from what you're thinking about, if you have something heavy on your mind."

VR helps with isolation, movement

There are hundreds of experiences to choose from to combat isolation, and stimulate conversation and movement.

"We are able to bring it right to their room and bring that veteran out of that darkness and whatever they are experiencing, and bring them to their happy place," Spier said.

Vietnam as it is today, lush and peaceful, is also among the possible destinations. Many Vietnam veterans find the journey back therapeutic.

"They may be suffering from chronic pain, anxiety, depression, PTSD, cognitive decline, isolation – any number of those indications, doctors and clinicians can now prescribe Mynd for those veterans, and it's a major breakthrough," Mynd Immersive co-founder and CEO Chris Brickler said.

The technology is now in more than 100 state veteran homes and Veterans Affairs medical centers, bringing the world back to those who served around the globe.

At Long Island State Veterans Home, the program is made possible in part thanks to a private grant.