Last reviewed: November 2026. This guide is for general information and is not medical advice. Talk to a qualified clinician about any treatment decision.
For older adults, virtual reality (VR) is studied mainly in three ways: exercise games to improve balance, calming or stimulating experiences for people living with dementia, and recreation in care homes. The research on balance is the most developed. The rest is promising but early.
Key takeaways
- Balance and walking: reviews find VR-based exercise improves balance and gait compared with usual care.
- Frailty: home-based VR training improved balance scores in a small 2025 meta-analysis.
- Dementia: VR may ease aggression, low mood and apathy, with few side effects reported.
- Care homes: used for recreation and social connection, with more research recommended.
In this guide
Balance and fall risk
Falls are a major health concern in later life, and exercise programs that build strength and balance are the standard way to reduce them. Their weak point is that many people do not keep them up. VR-based exercise, often in the form of movement games, is meant to make practice more engaging.
- A 2024 systematic review in healthy older adults concluded that VR therapy improved static balance, dynamic balance and gait more than minimal intervention or usual care. It also did better than traditional balance training and physical exercise, though the reviewers note that both approaches work.
- A 2025 meta-analysis of home-based VR training for older adults with frailty or pre-frailty pooled four studies and found a significant improvement on a standard balance scale.
Better balance scores are not the same as fewer falls. Most of these trials measure balance tests, and far fewer count actual falls over time.
Dementia
Behavioral and psychological symptoms, such as agitation, low mood and apathy, are among the hardest parts of dementia for families and care staff. A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis in Age and Ageing found that VR may reduce the severity of these symptoms, particularly aggression, depressive symptoms and apathy. It also reported that people generally accepted VR well and that side effects were minimal.
The wording matters. The reviewers say VR “may” help. It is being studied as a non-drug option to use alongside good dementia care.
Wellbeing and social connection
Care homes have tried VR for recreation: virtual travel, reminiscence and shared activities. A scoping review of immersive VR in residential aged care, focused on residents without cognitive impairment, recommends further research to guide how such programs are designed and run for this group.
For older people living in their own homes, the evidence base is small. A 2020 systematic review of commercially available headsets found only seven studies that specifically included community-dwelling older adults.
Limits and practical points
- “VR” covers a lot: in balance research it often means games played on a screen with motion sensors, not a headset.
- Safety while moving: a headset blocks the view of the room, so balance exercises need supervision or a safe, seated setup.
- Small studies: several of the pooled analyses rest on a handful of trials.
- Addition, not replacement: conventional exercise also works, and VR is best seen as one more way to keep people active.
Questions to ask
- Will someone supervise the sessions, especially standing exercises?
- Is the program suited to this person’s mobility, vision and hearing?
- What happens if the person becomes dizzy, distressed or confused?
Related guides: virtual reality in rehabilitation and the wider picture of virtual reality in healthcare.
Common questions
Does VR improve balance in older adults?
Reviews find VR-based exercise improves balance and walking compared with usual care. Most trials measure balance tests, and few count actual falls.
Does VR help people with dementia?
A 2025 review found VR may reduce aggression, low mood and apathy, with few side effects reported. It is studied as a non-drug option alongside good dementia care.
Is VR safe for older people?
A headset blocks the view of the room, so standing exercises need supervision or a safe seated setup. Sessions should stop if the person becomes dizzy or distressed.
Sources
- Rodríguez-Almagro D, et al. Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Therapy on Balance and Gait in the Elderly: A Systematic Review. Healthcare, 2024.
- Home-Based Virtual Reality Training for Enhanced Balance, Strength, and Mobility Among Older Adults With Frailty: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 2025.
- The use and effect of virtual reality as a non-pharmacological intervention for behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Age and Ageing, 2025.
- Holloway H, et al. Immersive virtual reality in the promotion of health and well-being for people in residential aged care without cognitive impairment: A scoping review.
- Dermody G, et al. The Role of Virtual Reality in Improving Health Outcomes for Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Systematic Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2020.
