Meadowview Care Home at Penketh is taking resident wellbeing to new heights with the introduction of Recreo VR headsets – immersive virtual reality technology that is opening up a world of experiences for the people in its care.
Following the success of a Recreo VR trial at Ashberry Healthcare’s Broomy Hill Nursing Home in Hereford, Meadowview has embraced the technology with equally impressive results. Since the headsets arrived, residents have roamed open countryside, come face to face with elephants and alpacas, marvelled at the wonders of an aquarium and even paid a virtual visit to the London Army Hospital – all from the comfort of their chairs.
From the very first session, the response has been heartwarming. Smiles, laughter and wide-eyed wonder have been a regular feature of VR sessions at Meadowview, with the experiences sparking rich conversations long after the headsets come off – residents sharing memories, swapping observations and asking questions together.
For those who find it harder to get out and about, virtual reality offers something genuinely special: the chance to encounter wildlife up close, revisit familiar places or explore somewhere entirely new, without ever leaving home. Recreo VR’s wide range of content – spanning nature, animals, history and landmark locations – makes it particularly well-suited to a home like Meadowview, where staff already tailor every aspect of care to each resident’s individual personality, preferences and life story.
Set in the residential area of Penketh, Meadowview is a single-storey home providing specialist residential care, dementia care and respite care for up to 41 residents. With carefully tended gardens, three comfortable lounges and a dedicated activities team, the home prides itself on a rich and varied programme of life enrichment – and virtual reality is its latest addition.
Meadowview Care Home is managed by Chris Wilcock and forms part of Ashberry Healthcare, a care home group operating nine homes across Wales, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire. The VR trial reflects Ashberry’s wider commitment to finding thoughtful, person-centred approaches to resident wellbeing – ones that stimulate the senses, evoke happy memories and bring people together.
