Peterborough care home residents ‘absolutely amazed’ by virtual reality!

Globetrotting residents at a Peterborough care home have been enjoying day trips to Spain and touring the world’s finest beaches - courtesy of innovative virtual reality (VR) sessions.

Staff at Castor Lodge Care Home decided to partner with Recreo VR, a York-based company which creates bespoke VR experiences, to make immersive travel adventures accessible to their residents

Residents were given a choice of destinations to experience. ‘Excursions’ to Edinburgh Zoo and Spain proved popular, as did a tour which took in the beaches of the world.

Bespoke tours of two significant local landmarks: Burghley House and Peterborough Cathedral were also made available.

Alex Lancaster from Recreo VR made special visits to the two iconic sites to capture detailed VR footage which was then used to create a virtual tour tailored to the residents.

‘Our goal is to facilitate a seamless integration of virtual reality into the daily practices of care facilities,” he said, “[thereby] ensuring a transformative and enriching experience for all involved.”

“I’m wheelchair-bound, which restricts my ability to move around,” explained John Carr, one of the first residents to try out the VR headset.

“There are many things I would like to go and see,” he said, “but sometimes I have to forgo them because of accessibility issues.”

A clearly thrilled John said the immersive experience left him feeling “absolutely amazed.”

“This open book to the world is magnificent,” he shared:

“The first thing he [Alex] showed me was Burghley House [and] I was in awe of the beautiful ceilings.”

“We then moved to Spain, where he showed me the cherry province.”

John explained that seeing Spain in such an immersive way was quite an emotional experience for him

“My son – one of my two sons – lives in that part of Spain: I could have stayed much longer looking at those scenes because I’m very sure I recognised them.”

Joe Sagoe, Castor Lodge’s customer relations manager said the aim of the initiative was to “provide our residents with new and engaging experiences.”

“This technology has given our residents the chance to explore places they otherwise couldn’t,” he said, “and the specific sites we chose made the experience personal and meaningful for them.”