10. Vy Chazen, Manager of Virtual Programs at Mather LifeWays, Talks VR for Older Adults

Vy Chazen using VR with a Mather LifeWays resident. Photo courtesy of Lori Keenan In her role as Manager of Virtual Programs at Mather LifeWays, Vy Chazen has been expanding perceptions of how older adults can use immersive technology. She has shared her industry wisdom on many big stages, including as a speaker at Aging 2.0 and as a lecturer at Northwestern University. Vy even hosts her own VR Talk Show, The Hive with Vivian, and writes for VRespawn. She’s a highly respected expert in this space and she offers her insights throughout the episode. If you’d like to connect with Vy, check out her twitter: https://twitter.com/vrchazen 1:25 How did you first get involved with Virtual Reality? 4:40 Explanation of the VR “Degrees of Freedom” Concept 5:50 What are some of the incorrect notions you’ve seen related to VR usage and how can we combat them? 15:40 How did the older adults react to Onward (A multiplayer shooter game) 17:00 Where does Mather LifeWays’ push for innovation stem from and how does the team avoid the trappings of complacency? 23:30 Considering your location near Northwestern University, have you created any University partnerships? 33:10 What are some unique skills that people can bring to this industry? 45:05 What are your parting words of wisdom for somebody who is looking to use immersive technologies with the older adult population?