VR for Reducing Restrictive Practices

Synopsis

Mental health settings often have limited access to outdoor spaces. Relaxation sessions, meditation, and access to nature have physical and psychological benefits, including enhancement of positive emotions and reduction of depression and anxiety symptoms. VR can be used to immerse service users in a computer generated environment that replicates aspects of the natural world.
With funding from Spark Innovation, 5 headsets were purchased and are being used across the mental health inpatient facilities in Galway and Roscommon. In the first number of months service users have availed of the headsets with positive feedback. Service users appreciate the availability of experiences such as walking on a beach, swimming underwater and/or strolling through a wooded environment. Through questionnaires service users have described a lowering of anxious feelings and a feeling of general well being. This project is aligned with the pursuit of restraint reduction and the promotion of the Safewards Model which is present in all mental health care facilities in our area. The next stage of the project is to introduce the VR experience for service users who are more acutely unwell and require further de-escalation. Using the headset in this way is innovative and new. We believe with careful risk assessment and supervision the VR experience can assist the service user to deescalate and assist in returning the service user to a more settled state.