Care Home providers Mole Valley Life are promoting immersive new experiences after launching a new Virtual Reality (VR) service.

Over 35 organisations attended last month's launch event to hear all about the benefits of this new service, which the care providers say can be of major benefit to users through the absorbing and relaxing experiences the VR technology can provide.

Now Mole Valley District Council (MVDC), which funds and helps administer Mole Valley Life, is seeking to raise awareness about advantages VR can have in care provision.

Councillor David Hawksworth CBE, Cabinet Member for Wellbeing on MVDC said that the Council was eager to act on helping care providers give the best possible treatment for residents in the area.

Cllr Hawksworth said: "We are anxious to do all we can to enhance the quality of life for those in Care Homes, and this new VR service offers a route to improved wellbeing and new experiences for those in an otherwise fixed location.

He added that the new VR project will help enhance the existing care provision such as the Telecare 24-hour assistance scheme that MVDC run at present.

Cllr Hawksworth said: "Whilst we are already known for offering the traditional Telecare service for vulnerable people in the district, we will continue to take advantage of new technologies wherever and whenever we can to facilitate improvements to the quality of later life for our residents.”

In the wake of the launch event the Council said that the attendees who tried the VR headsets and the experiences they provide reported back positive experiences from the futuristic technology.

MVDC said: "Those who have experienced the VR headsets have reported benefits as dramatic. They range from the calming effect which helps to reduce stress and anxiety, the opportunity to reduce medication, better sleep and overall improvement in mental wellbeing.

"Attendees trialling the experience talked of how incredible it felt and how absorbing and relaxing it was."

VR technology is currently at the forefront of new techniques being explored in care giving, from helping those affected by dementia to recover memory to assistance with opioid addiction.

For more information about Mole Valley Life’s Virtual Reality Services please contact the Support Team on 01372 204500.