Program allows seniors to experience virtual reality

UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan (PIX11) — Some seniors on the Upper West Side are having an epic time going hi-tech, experiencing the magic of virtual reality.

Thanks to the generosity of several foundations, sixty communities in New York and New Jersey are getting free virtual reality glasses.

It’s all part of a new initiative that could be coming to your neighborhood next. If you would like this free program in your neighborhood, organizers want to hear from you.

The New Jewish Home on the Upper West Side got the first program. Some seniors got a chance to travel virtually to other countries, check things off their bucket lists, and even play with puppies.

65-year-old Cecilia Ferreiro from the Upper West Side says there isn’t a day she doesn’t miss her late husband Ramon. She got to go back in time and remember her favorite trip to Barcelona with him thanks to these special virtual reality glasses.

Cecilia and all the seniors here at the New Jewish Home were the first to try out and keep the virtual reality glasses thanks to a new free program called the Great American Elderverse . 53-year-old Lorrie James from East Harlem wanted to try something out of her comfort zone.

60 low-income senior centers across New York and New Jersey will receive these glasses for free, thanks to several foundations including the Mets owners Steve and Alexandra Cohen’s foundation.

What’s great say the creators of the program, is that seniors can do it anytime. Cecilia loves puppies. There’s a program for that too. Dr. Jeffrey Farber, the president and CEO of The New Jewish Home, says it’s great for mental health and fighting feelings of isolation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.