From sky diving in Dubai to a tour of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Care Home Residents in the UK are living their travel dreams. Residents in Advinia Health Care homes, Newcarron Court, Longwood, Braemount, Hillview, Netherton Green and Parklands, have been travelling around the world from the comfort of their armchairs thanks to Oculus, a virtual reality technology.
The VR headset offers Residents the opportunity to visit renowned tourist sites whilst sitting comfortably in their Homes. The headsets track head movements, allowing the wearer to explore a 360-degree representation of an environment just by looking around. The view experienced by the headset wearer is also displayed on a tablet, so Carers and family can share and chat about the content, which might include places familiar to the resident or parts of the world they’ve never encountered before.
Michael Mulkerrin visited Jurassic World via Oculus and hit out with ” I thought it was going to bloomin bite me there. I can’t believe what I’m seeing. It’s amazing”.
Betty Milligan visited a tropical rainforest and a waterfall and said “I’m very thankful and feel blessed to be able to see these places” ” Thank you, oh thank you for letting me try this. It has made my day”.
Advinia Health Care says the introduction of virtual reality technology is in response to the impact the pandemic has had on residents who have expressed their desire to travel around the world. In response, Advinia introduced Oculus to enhance the life of the residents, especially those living with dementia.
Dr Sanjeev Kanoria Founder and Chairman of Advinia Healthcare noted that “It is wonderful to hear how these experiences have allowed the Residents to reminisce with their families and each other, and enabled them to become more engaged and involved, particularly during these challenging last couple of years.”
Reminiscence therapy is proving to be particularly effective for people living with dementia, and this is a fantastic example of how we can utilise modern technology to help them to unlock treasured memories and engage with others.,” he further explains.
Advinia is one of the UK’s largest care providers and has for some time now been engaging in groundbreaking technological advancements to provide the best care for residents. With a vision to create a better everyday life for its residents, Advinia continues to explore the ever-present opportunities that technology provides to make life for the elderly more enjoyable.