California-based nonprofit hospice and healthcare leader The Elizabeth Hospice has unveiled a virtual reality program to aid in symptom management as well as to help patients cope with social isolation, which has become even more critical and challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Elizabeth Hospice partnered with MyndVR, the nation’s leading provider of virtual reality solutions for older adults, to launch the program after a recent study found that virtual reality could potentially help reduce pain, fear, and anxiety in adults suffering from chronic conditions.
“We’re constantly searching for ways to enhance the patient experience,” said Laury Bliss, Chief Strategy Officer at The Elizabeth Hospice. “We’re optimistic that virtual reality will help provide comfort to children and adults who are facing life’s most difficult challenge.”
Patients can use the technology to relive old memories, visit far-away places, or perform a wish-list featuring experiences such as sky-diving, visiting a national park, and more.
“Virtual reality is a powerful tool with great potential for shaping a patient’s experience near the end of life,” said Chris Brickler, CEO of MyndVR. “Whether the patient seeks relief from pain, anxiety, or other symptoms, or wishes to visit a long-sought destination or familiar locale, MyndVR’s technology brings patients outside the physical limitations of their bodies to give them a unique and uplifting experience they may have never thought possible at that point in their lives.”
The benefits of virtual reality extend beyond the patient and help meet the primary goal of hospice care: improving quality of life both for the patient and their families. MyndVR offers a shared experience that can bridge the gap created by terminal illness and limited mobility, giving family members one more positive memory to keep close by making it possible for hospice patients to enjoy amazing experiences regardless of their physical and mental limitations.
March 22, 2021