Cambridge Resthaven residents are exploring the world through virtual reality thanks to a grant from Souter Trust.
Standing from left to right: Ronel Pretorius (Activities Assistant), Tracy Fairhurst (Registered Diversional Therapist), Marjorie Wooding (resident), David Hall (CEO), Jocelyn Cooney (Souter Trust Trustee), and Maria Baldo (Activities Assistant). Seated from left to right: residents Lewis Hollands and Anne Whitsed. Photo: Michael Jeans
The VR equipment is from Australian company SilVR Adventures who specialises in VR for older adults. It’s portable, simple to use, connects to wi-fi, and looks and feels incredibly realistic.
Souter Trust supports innovative projects to improve healthcare or knowledge in the medical area. With the Souter Trust grant, Cambridge Resthaven purchased four VR headsets and a library of VR experiences.
The VR experience is bringing so many positives for residents in Cambridge Resthaven’s two care centres. It provides residents with the enjoyment of being able to travel the world, gives them a shared experience that boosts social interactions, is beneficial for memory and cognitive function, tackles loneliness, improves well-being and is great for those who are less mobile.
Jocelyn Cooney from the Souter Trust (on the left) and the Resthaven team trying out the VR headsets. Photo: Michael Jeans
The experiences include travel and wildlife adventures – from swimming with dolphins, to skiing the Alps and walking the Great Wall of China. The DTs and residents have a lot of fun organising and going on virtual trips, even having printed passports and boarding passes to enhance their travel. The VR library also includes cultural and music themes – residents can choose from a range of concert performances that are set in venues around the world. Each session ends with well-being activities specifically for older adults that focus on wellness and relaxation and help to reduce stress.
The Cambridge Resthaven team say it has been a gamechanger. David Hall, Cambridge Resthaven CEO, said, “Specialised VR equipment for the elderly is a recent innovation, and we are grateful to Souter Trust for funding this leading VR system. We are a community-based charitable trust, and this grant has helped us adopt advanced technology to enrich residents’ lives. We were delighted to have Jocelyn Cooney, a trustee of the Souter Trust, participate in a VR demonstration session and see first-hand what the system offers.”
Each session can be tailored to an individual resident, or up to four residents can do the same experience – a bit like a “group tour”. Residents enjoy the social aspect of the four-person group tours and there is always lots of conversation and laughter as they share memories or discover new places together. For residents who are less mobile, it brings the world to them from the comfort of their chair or bed.
The DTs initiate the VR experiences from a mobile device, where they can monitor what each of the residents is seeing during the session and can pause or adjust the session to suit.
Photo 3: DTs use a tablet (or other mobile device) to monitor what each resident is seeing through their VR headsets
