Residents travel around the world!

Residents at Cramlington House were treated to an extra special activity recently where they were able to ‘visit’ Croatia, The Bahamas and New York among other distant places, from the comfort of their own home!

Through the magic of virtual reality, Audrey, Flo and Sylvia travelled to places across the world, took in the sights and visited some of the most iconic landmarks in each country without needing to step foot on a plane.

Residents simply had to pop on a virtual reality headset, sit back and enjoy being taken to a different country to sample native delights and absorb local culture.

Angela Heighton, one of our wellbeing assistants at Cramlington House, said: “Wow, what an experience the residents had! It was amazing to see the different emotions they were going through while wearing the virtual reality headset and it’s so wonderful that we can provide such a specialist activity.

“They were full of smiles and conversation following the experience and couldn’t wait to share their ‘trip abroad’ with their visiting family and friends.”

Virtual reality technologies can provide key benefits in elderly care especially to those living with dementia. By giving residents the chance to experience sights and sounds of faraway destinations it enables people to reconnect with past memories (for example, they might have visited the place when a young child) and also explore new experiences that they’re physically unable to do, therefore creating brand new memories which is also a vital aspect of caring for those with dementia.

Cramlington House Manager Janice Wilkinson added: “Our number one priority is to ensure residents are as happy and healthy as possible and we always try to deliver any specific requests and attempt to give them experiences that they are really keen to do.

“The residents who took part in this activity really wanted to go abroad, visit new countries and places so this was a perfect opportunity to make this happen and it didn’t disappoint.

“Not only did they gain enjoyment from it, but they were also more alert, more relaxed and more interactive with people following the session.

“Each of them absolutely loved it and we’re planning to organise more virtual reality-based activities in the future.”

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What people are saying

"I am very pleased with how my mother has settled in and generally how supportive and caring the staff are. This has given us peace of mind knowing that she is safe & well looked after. Thank you."
"Our mum has been a resident at Cramlington House for over a year and we have nothing but praise for the friendly, approachable staff and management. We always feel like part of an extended family and when we visit nothing is too much bother. We are completely happy with the standard of care, support and understanding we all receive as a family."
"From the first day, I knew it was the place for my mum. Clean, friendly staff, lovely environment! My mum would not get the opportunity to do the activities she is experiencing if she was not in Cramlington House. It is home from home and we can visit anytime. I can't say enough of how great Cramlington House is. "
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