For the residents of a Christchurch retirement village, life regularly leaps from the real to the virtual and back again.
In the time it takes to make a cup of tea and whip up a batch of scones, Russley Village residents Anne and Doug can travel to France for a quick tour of Paris. Then, a stop off in the Caribbean to go scuba diving — all from the comfort of their armchairs.
Anne and Doug use virtual reality technology — powered by distinctive headsets — to transport themselves to locations across the globe. According to Russley Village, the idea is to increase the feeling of “thriving” within a community.
After a month-long trial, the retirement village purchased several headsets from virtual reality tech company Rendever and will pay a monthly subscription to access more than 700 experiences.
Rendever’s New Zealand director, Simon Burrows, who introduced American advancement advancements in virtual reality to rest homes in Aotearoa, explained the idea behind the technology to Seven Sharp.
“My grandmother was in a care home in the UK and became isolated and withdrawn and declined quite quickly. The ability to use technology to counter those sorts of problems is very real for caregivers.”
Burrows said the technology is designed for shared experiences and to bring people together and prompt memories.
Resident Judith Hewett said the virtual reality water experience reminded her of her father’s aquarium.
“He had a big tank, so I got to know a few names — gourami, kissing gourami, swordfish,” she said.
Since she became a quadriplegic, Judith has been living in a care centre and away from the North Canterbury farm she shared with her husband, Gordon.
On the day Seven Sharp visited, Judith enjoyed an evocative trip down memory lane with a virtual tour of her farm back home.
“There’d be daffodils coming up shortly,” she said, observing her old driveway. “Jeez, it’s so good.”
“[The virtual reality is] just brilliant,” said Gordon. “It just takes them to another place.”
Burrows said the virtual tour options were limitless.
“They can have family members film a grandchild’s birthday party, a wedding overseas, a rugby match or a religious ceremony — all sorts of personal things that can be filmed in virtual reality and made available for them in a headset.
“It’s as close to being there as you can without actually being there.”
