About the Project

In hospitals and residential settings across the globe, VR is being used to tackle a wide range of medical issues, including stroke, dementia, phobias, cerebral palsy, chronic pain and more.  While most studies to date are small, researchers have found significant success using VR in treating motor and cognitive deficits, as well as reducing pain and improving mood and quality of life.

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This project aims to bring these benefits to individuals housebound by disability.  Housebound patients have fallen through the cracks of an ever-shrinking social safety network.  In addition to the loss of quality of life for the individual, there are also knock-on effects including reduced economic activity for themselves and their families, who often act as sole carers, as well as missed NHS appointments and other social costs.

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It doesn't have to be this way.  Drawing on disabled people's experiences with VR, as well as an extensive review of the literature to date, Headsets for the Housebound will provide VR equipment and advice to housebound individuals in order to improve their health and quality of life. 

 

We will begin with a pilot, carefully tracking a small number of participants and analyzing the data for later publication.  Working closely with advisors in the NHS, private healthcare, disability advocacy, and academic research fields, we will ensure that the service is methodologically sound, participant-driven, and most importantly, effective.

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A fully-sourced project proposal will be available soon, followed by an initial funding push to make this project a reality. If you'd like to be involved in the project, please check out our "How You Can Help" page and sign up to our newsletter.  We'll keep you updated as the project moves forward. Together we can improve the lives of housebound individuals across the country and add to the collective knowledge base on the therapeutic value of VR.

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