Hospice Develops VR for Terminally Ill Patients
'I Experience VR' has been pioneered by LOROS Hospice in Leicester, who have created an innovative library of therapeutic and immersive 360-degree Virtual Reality (VR) films, that are safely stored and accessed via an App.
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hhe library of specially commissioned films enables terminally ill patients, who have found themselves restricted due to their illness, explore a familiar location from the comfort of their chair. Smartphones and other devices keep us ever connected to the rest of the world, but recovering, disabled and seriously ill patients often find themselves indoors, and longing for a change of scenery. This Virtual Reality (VR) technology is changing lives! John Lee, 70, a patient with Motor Neurone Disease (MND), was the first patient at the Hospice to try on the headsets. He was transported virtually to Bradgate Park in Leicester, which he described as “almost as good as the real thing”. As the patient turns their head, the camera follows, giving a 360-degree view of their virtual surroundings.
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“You soon relax, it’s just like you’re there, I loved it,” he said. “I nearly waved at somebody, as they walked past.” “Since being diagnosed with MND, I can get out, but I can’t spend a lot of time out of the wheelchair, so being able to have these experiences through the VR glasses is really good,” he added. VR experiences have been long discussed as a helpful new therapeutic tool for terminally ill patients, allowing them to absorb themselves within a familiar but otherwise inaccessible environment, so it’s great to see a Hospice leading the way. LOROS CEO John Knight said: “This is a really exciting project for us, and I believe we are the first Hospice in the country to have specifically commissioned such films as therapeutic tools using familiar local settings.
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To see the responses from our patients is quite overwhelming. You can really see how much it means to them, John Knight
