The Care Homes
Caerphilly Council runs 6 of the Care Homes in the Borough. Caerphilly Over 50 began virtual reality demonstrations this year in Min Y Mynydd Care Home, Rhymney. Our first visit was so successful, they asked us to please return. So, we did!
Obviously, we needed help in expanding our programme. We met with officers in the council to see if they could help. They certainly could!! Rebecca Price, a senior care officer, has been taking VR headsets with her as she visits the Homes. She received comments like this:
“………. words cannot describe the feeling of seeing the enjoyment residents have with them. One resident said that they were absolutely marvellous and fantastic. This was the first time they had seen these virtual reality headsets. Another resident and his wife reminisced on memories of him cycling through Roath Park on many past occasions.”
“Residents thoroughly enjoyed the experience, especially Roath Park. A winner with everyone.”
One lady, in particular, commented, whilst using the VR headset, on her lovely memories as a child visiting Roath Park. The lady described one funny occasion when she visited after having chickenpox. She described being on the peddle boats on the lake and as a child and very excited she was jumping around on the boat and her mother tapped her on her arm telling her to keep still, but this was her sore arm that had remaining marks of the chickenpox. The lady laughed out loud and actioned to me what her mother did to her.
Residents explained how wonderful the experience was and that they felt like they were there in the park. A wonderful experience for all to enjoy and great talking points which bring up some truly amazing memories.
View on YouTube in High Definition (up to 4K). This is a 360-degree video. Use the cursor or scrolling icon (top left corner of video) to view through the scene.
Min Y Mynydd in Dementia Action Week
Cllr Carol Andrews suggested we select a Care Home to visit during Dementia Action Week and promote virtual reality. We readily accepted the suggestion, and Min Y Mynydd was happy to be the host.
Residents enjoyed another event viewing the virtual reality videos. Councillor Elaine Forehead joined the group and enjoyed chatting with the residents and Carers. She experienced the immersive effect of the Virtual Reality headsets and the interaction of the residents with these videos.
An interview with Shannon, the Senior Carer in Min Y Mynydd
This video is not a 360-degree virtual reality one. But it shows how engrossed the residents can be with the virtual reality videos from our “Inside – Outside” portfolio. This resident watched walks around Caerphilly Castle and Margam park.
Not Just Entertainment
During the time we have been developing these bespoke videos, a considerable body of evidence has emerged from studies of the advantages of VR for individuals with dementia.
These are some comments from several studies:-
