Comments on: Home For the Elderly: An Idea in Progress

By: Bayern_1867

Bayern_1867 — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:34:58 +0000

Great idea! Great article! Try talking with volunteers at the facility (if any) and aides. They might be more open than management which may be thinking: budget, liability, etc. If you can get a groundswell going, you may find management more open. Good luck! Please keep us informed.

By: Kid Fleetfoot

Kid Fleetfoot — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 22:51:54 +0000

Xboc360m not Sboc360. Sheesh on me. : ( oh Well : )

By: Kid Fleetfoot

Kid Fleetfoot — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 22:30:25 +0000

I like the idea and it has been implemented as to game playing according to stevev363’s post in this thread. While I am aware of the Wii being used in nursing homes and it is popular with some residents, I never gave much thought to the PS3 (or the Sboc360 for that matter).

Is Home being used now somewhere in an assisted living or nursing home? I don’t know. I have someone in a nursing home and I don’t believe it would work for all as to PS3 Home or even gaming for that matter, but for some it would.

The article and idea is very intriguing and it is something I would look forward to seeing the results as to Orion’s What Next Comment.
Orion wrote:
“What Next?
The local assisted living facility has a mix of younger people with the elderly. I am going start there and see what interest there is and get some feedback as to how feasible implementing this would be. Feedback from the readers of this article would also very welcome.”

Go for it and good luck! : )

By: Gideon

Gideon — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 05:35:57 +0000

Is this a good idea? depends.

See what I did there? LOL!

Sorry. I just had to take the hook. Great article. I like the overall voice Orion has taken. Home as therapy and a way for the elderly to connect with the outside world. I ask: why stop at Home? I think many PSN games would be great for the elderly to connect with others. Look at the multiplayer aspects of Journey. I bet many elderly would enjoy the exploratory nature of that game! And… Burnout Paradise. Common. Epic Win for elderly gamers.

By: Nos

Nos — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 17:49:35 +0000

Indeed. Glorious.
Perhaps the scientific community would be a good one to hit up with this idea.
It is known that interacting through text chat rooms, and playing video games are not only good for the cognitive, but actually assist in the improvement of mental health. Especially as the physical body becomes aged. Combining the two (as Home has done) must surely be extra beneficial in keeping a mind active and healthy, as well as helping one’s social interactions be exciting and robust.

By: johneboy1970

johneboy1970 — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 16:10:44 +0000

What a fantastic idea, Orion!

By: stevev363

stevev363 — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 12:02:05 +0000

My mother is executive director of an assisted living community that has 6 PS3’s set up for bowling and other activities, they already get lots of use for their intended purpose but I personally never thought to enlighten the residents to the fact that Home was available to them too. I’m going to have a talk with my mother about this over the weekend and figure out how to implement Home usage for those who would be interested.

By: Danger_Dad

Danger_Dad — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 06:14:35 +0000

;^) This is a very clever idea, and it’s obvious that you’ve given it a lot of thought.

:^/ I suggest starting out slowly, with a foot-in-the-door approach. Set your father-in-law up with his own PS3, etc., and walk him through things until he’s comfortable enough with it to introduce it to his fellow residents. Once a number of the locals are interested, bring it up with the staff, and share the details you’ve worked out already.

;^) As I’ve learned in industry, some times it’s easier to get forgiveness after the fact than it is to ge permission ahead of time…

By: NorseGamer

NorseGamer — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 05:30:43 +0000

The only potential drawback I can see is the cost; Home is a single-player interface, which means that a lot of PS3s and televisions might have to be purchased. Cheap USB headsets and/or cheap keyboards would be de rigeur, as well.

Aside from that one hurdle…this is brilliant. How many older people can rediscover fun activities from their youth via the magic of virtual reality? Home creatively engages people, gets them gaming, helps build social connections, and — for some — provides something to look forward to.

When I was younger, I watched my father recover from his second brain tumor operation. He played Tetris over and over. He couldn’t speak yet, his face was partially paralyzed, and the pain was beyond anything most of us could imagine. But Tetris gave his mind something to focus on and helped him rebuild his hand-eye coordination.

I keep having this image of someone who’s elderly, alone and in a retirement home. Someone who, perhaps, served his country in wartime. Someone who raised a family. Someone who, if you look through the photo albums, lived a fulfilling life.

And now he’s someone forgotten by the world, broken by age and injury, and waiting to die.

Could virtual reality give this man some joy and happiness before he gets to the end of the rainbow? Doesn’t he deserve this?

I’m actually tearing-up a little right now, just writing this. Because, *damn* it, Home isn’t just a game. And as we’ve talked about time and again here at HSM, Home genuinely affects *lives.* For the better.

By: keara22hi

keara22hi — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 05:05:18 +0000

As a seventy two year old gamer, I can tell you this: sometime in the future I will be found with a smile on my face and my PS3 controller in my cold dead fingers.

It is a brilliant idea, Orion, if you can get one in there to demonstrate. Let them each build an avatar. Show them a Harbour Studio and how to decorate it. And then take them to the shops! Sully’s Bar will be a hit. And so will the Playground. Some of the games like Orb Runner in Aurora will also have high appeal. And the dolphy racing.