Care home residents taken on virtual reality adventure

RESIDENTS at Bernadette

House in Lincoln had a day to remember when they visited a watering hole in Kenya, got up close with a family of giraffe and joined a herd of elephants for a walk in the sunshine.

Needing to cool down from the Kenyan heat, residents headed to the ocean where they swam with a pair of blue whales and watched them feast on krill. Back on dry land, residents were transported to Lapland where they watched an Arctic fox and reindeer playing in the snow.

These experiences made residents feel they were right there in the moment and were brought to the South Park care home thanks to virtual reality.VR technology gives care home residents a change of scenery by transporting them to fun and engaging virtual environments of their choosing. “Many of our residents live with dementia and these sessions are wonderful ways to promote mental and social wellbeing in residents through the sharing of experiences, sparking discussions and recalling old memories,” said manager Fay

Resident Jackie was delighted and told staff she felt like ‘I’m walking with the animals in the desert’, while Richard was also impressed: ‘This is amazing the giraffes are so big’.

Fellow resident Bruce summed up the experience as he tucked into his steak and kidney pie: “I went to all those different places this morning and I was home in time for lunch.” https://bernadettehouse.co.uk