Virtual adventures making a real difference

Innovative Perth home care provider Community Vision is using VR to help clients re-engage with the world.

Regina and Leo Dixon say Leo’s virtual reality experiences have brightened their lives.

From flying in a hot air balloon to deep sea diving, Leo Dixon has explored the sky and the sea, loving and living some unique experiences. Leo and his wife Regina are enthusiastic participants in a new virtual reality (VR) world that is being opened up across Perth by innovative home care provider Community Vision. “It is beautiful, it is unreal,” says Leo. “The undersea adventure was a good one, watching all the little fishes around me and the whales and dolphins.

“The balloon experience was also amazing. I have never been up in a hot air balloon before and I felt like I was in dreamland.”

Leo lives with dementia and he and his family find the VR experience stimulates his mind, lowers stress levels and lights up his memory.

“Leo loves it, he is elated afterwards and looks really happy and calm,” says Regina. “It kept triggering his memory for a few days after and he told me it was awesome.

“I think it is a great thing for people who can’t get out as much as they used to.”

Last year, Community Vision started looking for a supportive and therapeutic aid that would enable older people, those living with dementia and people living with disabilities to reminisce, reduce anxiety and offer new ways to improve their quality of life.

“The reaction has been absolutely phenomenal,” says Community Vision Chief Operations Manager Yvonne Timson. “We have not had a negative experience from it, everyone has loved it and their only complaint is that they want more.

“If a person used to be a fighter pilot, they can go back up in a plane. There are all sorts of adventures and you are not limited.

“You can have up to 10 people experiencing it all at once, with a facilitator who sees what they see and feels what they are experiencing. It is really quite powerful and our staff love it, too!”

There are many famous places in the library of imagination, including the Colosseum and the Vatican but the multiple system—developed by United States VR specialist Rendever—also includes the capacity to customise experiences.

“During this therapy we can include their family members and take them on a collective journey back through their own lives,” Ms Timson says.

“We use Google Earth to go to their own street and find the house they were born in, then we get pictures from when they were children, add pictures of their Mum and Dad into it and create a whole line of memories within that scope.”

With the COVID-19 pandemic, Community Vision has witnessed exponential growth in uptake, with more than 100 people having tried VR.

“The restrictions around the pandemic have made people more open to technology because they are looking at different ways to have support,” Ms Timson says.

“VR has also provided a way to deliver services to those living with dementia, who haven’t been able to move out and get respite care.

“We’ve been able to deliver virtual respite in-home, with goggles and with the platform, giving them a great experience, which means their loved ones can still receive some respite.”

Leo and Regina are looking forward to their next adventure.

Leo experiencing virtual reality.

“I think it would be good to do it with a group of people who Leo could relate to and they could share their experiences,” Regina says.

But will it ever replace human interaction?

“No, I don’t think so, but having said that, it’s an enabler, augmenting the services we already provide,” says Ms Timson.

“If someone is limited by what they can do in terms of physical aspects, using something like this can enhance their quality of life, add additional experiences and connect them with family and friends.” ■ Nick Way is Senior Media & Communications Advisor, Leading Age Services Australia. For more information visit www.communityvision.asn.au