Hospice patients enjoy trips to beach, park and stately homes thanks to virtual reality - The Leamington Observer

Hospice patients enjoy trips to beach, park and stately homes thanks to virtual reality

Leamington Editorial 13th Dec, 2018   0

HOSPICE patients have been enjoying trips to the beach, park and stately homes – all from the comfort of their own beds.

Myton hospice – which has centres in Warwick, Coventry and Rugby – is the first in the region to offer patients access to virtual reality headsets.

It means those on its inpatient units or using the day hospice, who can find trips out exhausting or difficult, can enjoy ‘all-immersive nature documentaries’.

By slipping on the headsets patients can feel they are at Bradgate Park in Leicester, on a beach at the Gower Peninsular in Wales or the 16th century stately home of Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. There are also several wildlife documentaries where they can get up close and personal with nature.




One patient said: “I felt as if I was there at the seaside again – which I never thought I’d be. It was so real, I lifted my feet up when the water came in.”

Hospice chief executive Ruth Freeman says the service even helps distract patients from pain they may be suffering.


She said: “Transporting people virtually to places they may not be able to visit in person again gives them a really positive experience. This is not just because of the amazing places they may see but also because research into the benefits of virtual reality has found it aids relaxation and distracts from pain and difficult situations.”

Anyone interested in funding items to support patients can call 01926 838837 to contact the hospice.

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