Oxfordshire care home residents relive memories through virtual reality

Residents from care homes in Kennington, Oxfordshire, Mon Choisy and Kirlena House, are taking virtual walks and trips as part of their reminiscent sessions, stimulating their memories and sense, all from the comfort of the living room.

The residents are able to relive hobbies and visit sentimental locations, such as the Devonshire coast, with the use of virtual reality, providing them with experiences similar to the real world. .

Auditcare, a dementia specialist care home provider, arranged for a physiotherapist to attend the two homes for the weekly VR sessions. A VR headset and foot machine took each resident on a journey of sensory experience.

Once the headset is on, residents are able to enter caves on the Devonshire coast and walk around Oxford city centre, surrounded by happy people and nature.

The latest advanced session allowed the residents to experience climbing hills using the foot machine. Pressing up and down on the machine while wearing the headset stimulates a realistic feeling through touch.

The virtual reality reminiscence sessions trigger special memories for dementia residents, as well as supporting physical activity.

Auditcare’s registered manager, Magdalena Liskiewicz said:

“Introducing physiotherapy VR sessions at Mon Choisy and Kirlena House has been simply life changing to many of our residents.

“They have thoroughly enjoyed what the weekly sessions bring, allowing them to do new things they wouldn’t be able to take part in normally. These include climbing hills in the countryside or exploring the beautiful Devonshire beaches and caves. All within the home’s living room! It’s truly remarkable!

“As a dementia specialist care home provider, we embrace the latest technology and are so proud to be able to offer these services to our residents to fight memory loss and ensure they have the best quality of life possible.”