How Senior Care Facilities Can Harness the Benefits of Meditation for Residents and Staff

Kyle Rand, CEO, Rendever

Meditation offers many benefits, from increased relaxation to lowered stress and more. With the pandemic restricting in-person events and classes, many of the in-person meditation sessions that senior care facilities once utilized have been put on pause.

That is, until Rendever stepped in. Rendever, a virtual reality platform for seniors, offers a wide array of programming through its RendeverLive platform. To celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month this May, Rendever has been hosting free live meditation and mindfulness sessions led by mindfulness specialist Samantha Sebastian.

Kyle Rand, CEO of Rendever, explains that these free meditation sessions are just one of the ways that Rendever has been working to support seniors and staff members throughout the pandemic.

“This past year has been isolating for everyone,” says Rand. “We’ve been working to support the social health of staff and residents since long before the pandemic, but as a celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month, we wanted to touch even more people and amplify our impact by launching a web-based version of RendeverLive and opening it to the whole industry. This allows thousands of additional senior living communities the chance to experience Rendever’s creative and nurturing offerings, without the need for virtual reality equipment.”

Putting Meditation to Work Within Senior Living

Meditation has always been beneficial not only to seniors but also to the general population, but those benefits are particularly beneficial in light of the pandemic. “Meditation is a great way to decrease stress levels and feel more connected to one’s surroundings,” explains Rand. He notes that top benefits of meditation within the senior care industry include:

• Lowering stress-induced diseases like hypertension, high cholesterol, and more
• Improving the immune system by regulating cortisol levels
• Controlling blood pressure
• Providing positive psychosocial benefits by alleviating everyday stress and anxiety

So far, Rand says the response has been “tremendous.” “We’re finding that not only are staff enjoying the meditation breaks throughout their day, but residents who are partaking in the sessions report feeling more positive and energized both physically and mentally,” he says. “We’re thrilled to be helping those in our industry take a metaphorical “weight” off of their shoulders, and we plan to continue supporting them well past Mental Health Awareness Month.”

How to Participate in Rendever’s Meditation and Mindfulness Sessions

Rendever’s free meditation sessions take place every weekday at 11:00 a.m. EDT. Those sessions are in addition to the regularly scheduled, travel- and education-based RendeverLive sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2:00 pm EDT. Special events like Laughter Yoga are also scheduled throughout the month.

Senior care facilities can learn more and request free access to all programming at www.rendever.com/live.

“With our continuous outreach, we’re finding additional ways to connect different communities worldwide together, so residents and staff can network, socialize and continue to expand their horizons beyond their physical building. This mindset pairs perfectly with our focus on the power of positive shared experiences, and we can’t wait to bring more people together through our offerings.”

Paige Cerulli

Paige Cerulli is a contributing writer to i Advance Senior Care.