MINNEAPOLIS — With the help of a headset, a senior care home transforms into a bike trail. Mount Olivet Careview Home residents like Rick Heinz are using virtual reality to experience their own version of the 2024 Summer Games.
"They keep us pretty busy, they really do," Heinz said. "I know I'm in my chair but my mind is telling me I'm at the Olympics."
The system was designed specifically for seniors, and the company behind it, Rendever, releases new destinations weekly.
In Paris, recreational therapist Erica Thompson guides the group to tennis courts, soccer fields, swimming pools, boxing rings and more.
"We're not just a facility that does Bingo," Thompson said. "We're not just a facility that throws on a movie. We like to make sure that our programs have purpose."
Thompson says they received Rendever in January as part of a state-funded performance improvement plan.
"Something cool about this, too, is we have some residents with macular degeneration … who are able to be successful with seeing through the VR goggles," she said.
Care takers report these interactive sessions reduce social isolation and depression.
For Heinz, it's a chance to be active. He played several sports growing up and has always enjoyed the Olympics. He plans to tune in when the games begin Friday. He's already watched most of the qualifier games.
"I hope sometime that it becomes available for everybody," Heinz said of the 360-degree sports experience. "It's that unique an experience."
Rendever has also developed a program allowing those in senior living facilities to revisit their old neighborhoods and homes.