DEMENTIA

The Human Side of VR

Rendever's CEO says virtual reality could bring empathy back into care

By Michelle Love

Kyle Rand was no stranger to working with older adults before he became CEO of Rendever. Growing up in upstate New York, he volunteered every summer at a local assisted living community, scooping ice cream for the residents. He would frequently visit his mother—a physical therapist for nursing homes—at the places she worked. Rand said it was a “really beautiful” introduction to the senior care industry.

After going off to college to study cognitive decline in the aging population, Rand experienced the loss of both of his grandmothers. In his senior year, his paternal grandmother was diagnosed with cancer and moved in first with his aunt, then into an assisted living community.

“Looking back, every transition was a challenge,” Rand said. “It created not just challenges for her, but also challenges for our family. I think when you go through something like that, it’s hard to not want to create a world in which it can be better.”

The Beginning of Rendever

That journey led Rand to founding Rendever in 2016, with a focus on one of the major pain points across the aging continuum, which he describes as: “How do we build better connections? How do we overcome this pervasive issue of social isolation within the aging industry?”

His answer? Virtual reality. Rendever’s focus lies in using virtual reality (VR) to overcome social isolation within the older adult population and improve the quality of care they receive. The endeavor has garnered more than a bit of attention: In November, it received close to $4.5 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health.

Rand said seeing VR’s impact during testing rounds has been more than satisfying.

“The joy and commonality we were able to service through this technology, it was a continuous ‘aha’ moment where we knew this was the tech we were going to bring forward,” he said. “They’re pretty magical moments.”

How Technology & Seniors Can Work Together

Looking toward the future, Rand is optimistic about the role VR and technology will play in quality senior care. He said he’s starting to see a shift in thinking around how senior adults and technology work together.

“More people are turning and looking toward, ‘How can we utilize technology to provide better care experiences no matter where you’re aging,’ and it is an important age in the industry,” he said. “It was not that long ago that everybody had pretty much accepted on a societal level that older adults and technology don’t mix, and that is so, so far from the truth.

“I think if you look at it from the perspective of homecare and the experience of people living at home, we are all well aware of the level of shortage we’re facing from homecare workers and caregivers—anyone who’s not an unpaid family caregiver—and the answer to this and the reality of the demographics we’re looking at is going to be technology,” Rand continued. “I think there is nothing but net good coming out of the change in the focus of how technology works within the space.”

Rendever's use of VR includes empathy-based training for its team and family caregivers. Image courtesy of Rendever.

VR in Action

The most consistently requested component of the Rendever platform is looking at how VR can be used for dementia and empathy training, which Rand said brings “remarkable outcomes and benefits.”

Over the summer, Rendever launched its VR-based empathy training platform, which offers a VR game experience to help users understand and navigate the various parts of life with dementia. Rand said the platform guides people to have more empathy and patience when working with people with dementia.

“It’s not just for homecare workers or senior living staff—everyone who has gone through a family diagnosis knows just how emotionally difficult it can be,” said Rand. “One of the things we talk about in the professional side of the industry all the time is you have to meet people where they are, but how can you meet people where they are if you don’t know where they are? That’s why these types of training mechanisms, I think, need to be given to family members to help (them) understand and build that same level of empathy.”

The Road Ahead

Of course, there are always going to be people hesitant to accept what’s new to them. Rand said he thinks people’s preconceived notions about technology are limiting the changes that could impact the industry.

“I’ve seen so many instances where people won’t move forward with a piece of technology or something that could really, truly enrich people’s lives because of that preconceived notion,” he said. “If there’s anything we can do better as an industry, it’s to work and get past that … I don’t think we’ll ever get to a point where we’re embracing the type of technology that will provide the impact we’re capable of providing in this industry if we don’t get out of our own comfort zone a little bit.”

Rand’s empathetic nature has guided him in his volunteer work, his studies and his vision for Rendever’s mission, which is to “help people live happier and healthier lives.” That purpose, and seeing how their endeavors are changing the lives of seniors and their families, is what he said drives his whole team.

“I think the ability to be able to wake up every day and know that when I sit down in front of my computer, what I’m working on is for the betterment of real people’s lives and real people who are often are also kind of ignored…it feeds and it nurtures the soul,” he said.