Across all of our homes we have been introducing our new state of the art virtual reality headsets, after a successful trial at Westfield Park.
So, it was with great honour that we were able to use the equipment to help one of our residents, Shirley, experience her son's wedding when she became too unwell to go. Shirley’s son married in Italy in October, but due to his mother’s ill health, she was not able to make the journey to watch her son tie the knot.
The virtual reality headsets are used so that all of the homes residents are able to achieve different experiences and so far, residents have been on safari’s, walked the great wall of china and even skydived. It was after the great success of the trial that as a company we decided to purchase a camera that allows 360-degree recordings, allowing friends and families to capture events or trips their relatives otherwise wouldn’t be able to experience.
After hearing about the new technology at the home, Shirley’s son was able to take the camera with him to Italy and record the service, with some added messages which he could play back to his mum upon his return. He said “I continue to be impressed with the level of support and care my mum receives at Westfield park. Without their forward-thinking innovations my mum would not have been able to experience our wedding. Even though it was only a virtual experience, Mum loved it and it meant the world to us that we were able to involve her in some way.”
Whilst watching the video Shirley commented on how lovely the wedding was and discussed guests she hadn’t seen for a number of years. It was great to see how much it meant to her, to experience such an important event.
The headsets have been a fantastic addition for the activity team and with the addition of the new camera residents don’t have to miss out on any more important events. The technology will also be used for reminiscence therapy, where families can record places of interest and play them back hopefully stimulating positive conversation and special moments between loved ones.
We look forward to sharing more fantastic stories about the headsets with you!
