She hadn’t seen her childhood block in 70 years. Then she put on a headset in a California retirement home.
Sue Livingstone, 84, stood on her old street in Queens again. Ginny, 81, swam with dolphins. Bob, 83, hiked Glacier on his birthday with his wife of 61 years beside him. And the part nobody expected: Afterward, they all went to lunch. Together, friend.
🤯 WOW! Sue Livingstone is 84. Last winter, she stood on the block in Queens where she grew up, a street she hadn’t walked in 70 years. She did it from a chair in Los Gatos, California, wearing a headset. The system she used is in 800 senior communities across the U.S. and Canada.
Why it matters: The gadget we blame for isolating our kids is also getting older people to the same lunch table. Keep reading for the one question to ask Mom’s activities director.
📖 Read time: 2 minutes
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Sue Livingstone is 84. Last winter, she stood on the block in Queens where she grew up, a street she hadn’t walked in 70 years. She did it from a chair in Los Gatos, California, wearing a VR headset.
“It isn’t just about being able to see it again,” she said. “It’s about all the memories.”
🥽 Where they went
Ginny Baird, 81, swam with dolphins. Her review: “We got to go underwater and didn’t even have to hold our breath!”
Bob Rogallo, 83, spent his birthday hiking Glacier National Park with Sallie, his wife of 61 years, in the seat next to him. He smiled the whole way.
It’s called Rendever, and it’s in 800 senior communities. Everyone puts on a headset at once, and the whole room goes to Paris, Queens or the ocean floor. Together.
The surprise? People who traveled together started eating lunch together, playing games and talking. They suddenly had things in common.
The surgeon general has compared chronic loneliness to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The NIH is spending $4.5 million to study whether group VR cuts isolation. I’d put my money on Sue.
If Mom or Dad is in a community, ask the activities director: “Do you have VR, and can I sit in?” Ask where they want to go. Record the story. That’s the real feature.
🛒 Mom or Dad live at home?
First, get the hardware.
- The headset: Meta Quest 3S, $350. No computer, no wires. (Meta raised the price $50 in April. Sigh.)
- Splurge pick: Meta Quest 3, $600, for a sharper picture.
Second, add the VR apps.
- Wander ($9.99) runs on Google Street View. Say an address, and you’re on the sidewalk. The old farmhouse. The church where they got married.
- BRINK Traveler ($14.99) has 56 lifelike 3D scans of spots like Bryce Canyon.
- Alcove Sanctuary is free, from the Rendever folks.
- YouTube VR: free hot air balloon rides and safaris.
After you set up the glasses, you might need to bump up the text: Settings > Display & brightness > Display size > Large. You can cast the display to your TV, so you see what Mom or Dad sees.
Pro tip: Buy two headsets, and you can meet up inside Wander, BRINK or Alcove. You in Denver, Mom or Dad in Dayton, same sidewalk.
Farmers have put VR headsets on cows to show them summer pastures. Talk about a mooood enhancer.
🗣️ TEXT/POST THIS STAT: The surgeon general compares chronic loneliness to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. 800 senior communities are fighting back with group VR trips. GetKim.com
📩 Send this to someone who can’t visit Mom and Dad as often as they’d like.
