Neil Charness
Weill Medical College of Cornell University, NY·Psychology
Staying mentally sharp in later life depends partly on staying engaged: thinking, socializing and doing activities. Health declines, mobility limits and changing life circumstances can cut older adults off from these opportunities.
- Fields
Psychology
Public Health & Epidemiology
Computer Science
- Topics
virtual reality
older adults
aging
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through May 2027
What they work on
- Identify older adults' preferences, usability problems and training needs for the immersive VR program CAST (Cognitive Activity Social Technology), using focus groups, usability testing and heuristic analysis across three CREATE sites.
- Test in a pilot randomized trial of 216 older adults whether two months of home use of VR CAST, compared with a 2D tablet control, affects cognition, social connectivity, loneliness, well-being and quality of life.
- Measure VR-specific experiences, including the sense of presence and cybersickness, together with real-time usage data, to identify factors that shape VR's benefits and to produce design guidelines for older adults.
More about the research
Consumer virtual reality (VR) headsets now make it possible to feel present somewhere else, alone or with other people, without leaving home. Yet few rigorous studies have tested whether older adults find VR usable and acceptable, or whether it actually benefits them. Most past work has targeted physical rehabilitation rather than social or mental engagement.
Why it matters
As populations age, keeping older adults cognitively healthy and socially connected matters for their independence and quality of life. This work could show whether home-based virtual reality is a practical way for older adults, including those with limited mobility, to stay mentally and socially engaged. Its design guidelines could help developers build VR programs that older users find usable and comfortable.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Mayra Sanchez Gonzalez
Johns Hopkins University, MD·Public Health & Epidemiology·Early-career
Identify social connection factors linked to good management of multiple chronic conditions among Hispanic adults aged 50 and older, through in-depth interviews with 30 participants.
Aprill Dawson
Medical College of Wisconsin, WI·Medicine & Clinical Research
Determine whether a health educator-led smart speaker program is feasible and acceptable for adults aged 50 and older with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes (HbA1c ≥8%), measuring recruitment, retention and interview feedback.
Kimberly Van Orden
University of Rochester, NY·Psychology·Early-career
Test whether behavioral interventions for loneliness and social isolation improve cognitive functioning in older adults, using meta-analysis of published studies and new analyses of completed trials.
The school
Weill Medical College of Cornell University: 35 labs on PI Pages, $1.6B a year on research, 59 research doctorates a year.
Reach out
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