The Virginian, the premier senior living community in Northern Virginia announced today that it is bringing Obie for Seniors technology by EyeClick to its community. The installation is part of The Virginian’s ‘high touch, high tech’ $56.5 million renovation which will include a state-of-the-art expanded Memory Care program. The Virginian will be among the first senior living communities in the nation, and first in the D.C. Metro area, to utilize the technology which has been demonstrated by senior staff to improve cognitive stimulation and motor skills, while keeping seniors active and motivated to participate in activities.
Obie for Seniors is an award-winning interactive gaming system that turns any physical space into an immersive and highly entertaining experience for seniors. The technology was developed for use in early childhood education and is now being adapted for seniors. Obie projects original games onto any surface – tabletops, floors, and walls – encouraging active play through touching, moving, and hand-eye coordination skills. The device uses sensors to identify movements such as tapping or touching and offers a suite of games adapted with different modes and levels which can support people with vast needs such as movement, cognition, and social interaction.
The system is among the newest “Nana” Technology™ being adopted for use in the United States, after successful applications in Europe for individuals with Alzheimer’s and related dementia. “Nana” Technology is microchip-based technology designed, intended, or that can otherwise be used to improve the quality of life for older adults.
According to Andrew Carle, Executive Director at The Virginian, “The addition of Obie for Seniors to our Memory Care milieu will not only significantly upgrade the quality of care for our residents but highlight our commitment to offering state-of-the-art technology at The ‘new’ Virginian.”
Mr. Carle has been instrumental in bringing Obie for Seniors to The Virginian’s Memory Care program. He serves as lead instructor and founder of the nation’s only graduate Concentration in Senior Living Administration, within the Georgetown University Program in Aging & Health. In 2004, he coined the term “Nana” Technology and has consulted on technologies for older adults with companies including APPLE, Nintendo, GTX Corporation, and Vigorous Mind, among others.
“After deploying Obie for Seniors across nearly two dozen senior living facilities in the US, we gathered data from senior care staff on the impact on residents, and opinions on the future of interactive technology,” said Ariel Almos, Founder and CEO of EyeClick. He added,” Senior care staff have let us know they have observed an improvement in residents’ social behavior, cognitive stimulation, and movement, which will precipitate further exciting developments in technology for seniors.”
Obie for Seniors is installed in senior care centers globally, with 94% of senior care staff reporting that residents experience a positive increase in well-being after engaging with its interactive games. EyeClick recently unveiled an advanced data analytics system for Obie that provides care staff the additional ability to analyze user’s activity and provide meaningful treatment data for range of motion, overall activity level, memory, and distractions and play errors.
Obie for Seniors has received numerous awards for its innovative solution to enhancing quality of life for older adults, including first place in LeadingAge California’s 2021 People Choice Award, first place in the Mediterranean Towers Ventures’s Agetech ‘Startup of the Year’ Competition 2021, among others.
About The Virginian
Located on more than 32 beautiful, wooded acres in the heart of Fairfax, Virginia, The Virginian is currently undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation. The current buildings and grounds will be completely reimagined and transformed into new, luxury independent living apartment homes and a complete continuum of care, including assisted living, memory care, long term nursing and skilled nursing.
Renovations will be completed in phases through Fall 2022. Tours of model-independent living, assisted living, and memory care apartments are currently available to prospective residents, with the Memory Care services scheduled for initial occupancy by Fall 2021.
About EyeClick
EyeClick, based in Israel, is a world leader in interactive technology for over a decade and the creator of Obie for Seniors. Obie helps to enhance the conditions of senior housing facilities, hospitals, and clinics with specially designed interactive games that provide residents with engagement, fun and encourages increased mobility. The device uses sensors to identify movements such as tapping, touching, or waving and offers more than 100 research-based games designed to help seniors with physical exercise or cognitive skills. EyeClick’s interactive projection systems are installed in over 80 countries with about 10,000 installations with 10 million to 15 million monthly active users. Learn more at www.obieforseniors.com
The Grandpaws Initiative recruits seniors to create drawings of older animals needing adoption. Working with local Fairfax animal shelter Homeward Tails, three lucky senior dogs – 11-year-old Pippa, 9-year-old Bo, and Cali, an 8-year-old – were selected as the artistic muses for The Virginian’s senior artists.
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