Real leadership, real impact: How therapy through VR technology is enhancing resident well-being

Technology and leadership go hand-in-hand in aged care.

Technology is aged care’s newest frontier, and innovative products are being developed and refined to address a wide range of unmet needs, challenges and opportunities.

Leadership, meanwhile, is the guiding force through the unknown, influencing culture, capability and success.

Kelvin Neave, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a standalone Sydney aged care provider Dougherty Apartments, deeply understands technology’s positive impact in this vertically built community. 

He’s implemented IT software in previous healthcare roles, and now as CEO, finding technology that enhances the care experience for staff and residents is an essential part of the job.

However, he’s looking for far more than just flashy design and a long list of features: he wants products that support a holistic care approach. When his team began looking for innovative ways to strengthen dementia care — and more broadly, the entire care experience — there were plenty of therapy tools to consider.

Yet he needed something that was resident-focused, not tech-focused. He found that with NeuronsVR.

“It’s not about placing a VR headset onto a resident to help contain them or distract them because they’re being difficult with the staff or other residents,” Kelvin emphasised. 

“It’s about managing their pain levels or anxiety levels because the experience calms them down. Or it’s taking a tour of an overseas location with their fellow residents, or doing something they used to do in their life like playing a round of golf.

“NeuronsVR is cementing the quality care we’re delivering to the residents. That’s going to be a value-add to the new seven Strengthened Quality Standards because it’s not only aligned with one standard, it’s three or four of them,” Kelvin added. 

The program embraced by residents, staff and family

Since implementing NeuronsVR therapy programs in 2023, Dougherty Apartments has become the highest user of these transformative programs. A medium-sized provider with 70 residents, 14 of whom reside in the Memory Support Unit (MSU), the home runs over 300 therapy sessions per month, demonstrating the significant impact and commitment to improving the lives of residents living with dementia.

No other aged care provider, including larger ones, match that usage following the statistics supplied from NeuronsVR. For Kelvin, that means the industry is missing out on the benefits of tailored, virtual reality therapeutic therapy. 

It also means residents and their family members are missing out on new ways to engage and interact with one another. 

“One of the things we did not expect was that the relatives, other loved ones and friends who came to visit them could see the changes. Then they started participating in wearing the headsets themselves. They could take the journey together and it added another dimension of conversation with the residents who were participating,” Kelvin added.

But it is the impact on dementia behaviour management that is the most profound. NeuronsVR therapy shows exactly how non-pharmacological solutions are changing lives as part of daily routines or individualised care plans.

Dougherty Apartments has seen positive changes in the residents’ mood, engagement, and overall quality of life. There is reduced agitation and anxiety, increased physical activity, improved cognitive function, and of course, enhanced social interaction.

“There are times of the day, particularly in a MSU, where even highly trained workers have difficult moments when residents become physical. You cannot fathom where the strength is coming from,” Kelvin said.

“The moment you can see those agitations arising, or it gets to a certain time of the day for any resident, you can introduce the resident to the headsets and they’re milking cows, playing a round of golf or travelling in their favourite location.”

The soothing and familiar virtual environment reduces distress and creates a sense of calm that lasts for hours post-session. This not only helps with wound care, personal care or things like mealtime enjoyment, but it means the risk of harm to staff, other residents or the resident themself is significantly reduced.

Technology built on person-centred care 

Shane Roulston, Founding Director of NeuronsVR, explained how Dougherty Apartments Residential Manager, Ellie Hwang, embraced the therapy programs because she saw the positive changes in real-time.

“Ellie was resident outcome focused rather than tech focused. That’s where it pricked her ears, she knew the pain management programs would help with redressing wounds,” Shane said.

“It wasn’t about having a piece of technology that can be used as a babysitter, to occupy them with a random video. She saw very quickly that this is not about VR, this is about what can be done through the use of it with clinically developed programs.

“In one meeting he had, she was talking about how it could be used to help individual residents. I could see the leadership from Kelvin flowing through so staff know this is all about the resident.”

This praise speaks to the overall culture underpinning NeuronsVR’s success at Dougherty Apartments. It has evolved into an everyday part of life contributing to sessions run by activity or lifestyle staff, while also helping clinical staff to tap into therapeutic, reminiscence therapy features that truly elevate its impact. 

A tailored library of programs, of which the vast majority have been developed in conjunction with aged care providers, the immersive therapy tool goes beyond entertainment.

“You might have Bob, the dairy farmer, who becomes agitated in the afternoons because he remembers that’s the time when the cows are coming in and they need to be milked. Having a person-centred program that can be tailored means you can understand Bob beyond his clinical requirements and have him sitting in a chair and fulfill the unmet need whilst he experiences an afternoon milking session,” Shane explained.

“The clinical programs can trigger neurological pathways in the brain to the point where we can even slow your heart rate down. When Bob takes off the headset, he’s crystal clear. 

“Examples like this are how Kelvin’s team is using the product. That’s how it’s meant to be used, not just random videos in a headset as an entertainment tool. They’re clinically developed programs,” he added. 

NeuronsVR continues to evolve with every relationship. Outside of Dougherty Apartments, customer personalisation led to the development of a First Nations library. This kind of innovation is why NeuronsVR was recognised by Ageing Australia and invited to the recent World Ageing Asia event as a partner in Singapore. 

The new reality for dementia care

Under Kelvin’s guidance, NeuronsVR therapy has become a beacon of hope for residents struggling with the complexities of dementia and other age-related challenges. But this success does not rest on his shoulders alone — although his passionate leadership is certainly a contributing factor. 

“I can’t do anything without my staff. Absolutely nothing. The kudos goes to them for coming on the journey to deliver the outcomes to the residents that they deserve,” Kelvin shared.

“I always say ‘don’t make a mountain out of something. Just keep it simple.’ because that’s what our people want. You can invest in thousands and millions of dollars worth of infrastructure and IT, all sorts of bells and whistles, but are they going to be enjoying it? Is it what they want? Just keep it simple.”

NueronsVR is enhancing resident well-being and supporting emotional needs through innovative virtual reality therapy programs. It is technology that’s designed with the resident experience in mind so they benefit the most.

If you’re interested in learning more about NeuronsVR, or would like to find out how it can become a reality in your care settings, visit neuronsvr.com or book a demo today.

You can also contact Kelvin Neave directly for an onsite tour at Dougherty Apartments to see the positive influence NeuronsVR is having in residential aged care.