Ronald McDonald House receives innovative new VR therapy pod
An innovative new virtual reality therapy pod is helping patients recover at Townsville’s Ronald McDonald House.
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When fourteen-year-old Ronald McDonald House resident Ethan Watson sat in the new Immersive VR Therapy Pod one of the first places he visited was his home back in Mt Isa.
The Therapy Pod chair is the new addition at the Ronald McDonalds House Charities North Australia (RMHC) thanks to the generosity of Chimera Legacy Foundation (CLF), the combined Lions Clubs of Townsville, the Woodstock Horse Sport Club and Queensland Pacific Metals.
Housed in the Ronald McDonald House playroom in Townsville, the Therapy Pod referred to as a ‘Holiday from Hospital’, is an ergonomic egg-chair, designed to look like an aircraft cockpit, with associated VR headset and handheld controls that allows the user to immerse themselves in a sensory journey by visiting anywhere in the world.
It uses Google Wonder – a 3D version of Google Maps.
CLF founding director Damien Thompson said 15 Therapy pods had been so far donated around Australia with a target of 50, with Townsville the first regional donation, and the foundation was on a mission to provide the pods for children and families to help them boost their mental wellbeing and make a positive impact their recovery.
“Virtual realities is essentially an important part of patient’s recovery. It provides that escape that young kids and that do not get when going through life saving treatment,” Mr Thompson said.
He himself started the foundation after using VR during an extended stay in hospital and finding out how it benefited him and others at the hospital.
“You’re restricted in your abilities to do normal everyday activities and this just allows you to extend and feel like you’re outdoors when you’re actually trapped inside -so that’s the biggest benefit.
“You can fully immerse yourself in another world.
“I started Chimera Legacy Foundation to provide access to this technology to as many other patients as possible.”
He said visiting ‘home’ was top of the list for many young patients who used the VR pods.
“When we introduced the VR holiday from hospital cockpits I acted as a travel agent and was trying to sell holidays to Paris, London, New York.
“We’d had patients ask just to take me home and that really spoke a lot to how they were feeling at the time because when you’re stressed and anxious and all you want to do is be home.
“So it took a lot of them home where they could explore the neighbourhoods and we felt they really opened up to us and by the time the experience was finished, we were best friends and they were asking when we were coming back.”
Ethan Watson was excited to be one of the first to use the Townsville Therapy Pod.
“I thought it was a good opportunity for me to feel like I was right back at home and I felt like I was right in the right the front lawn of my house.”
His mother Julie Watson said her autistic son had injured himself last week and needed treatment in Townsville and thought the Therapy pod was fantastic.
“He’s never used VR before and he just thinks it’s wonderful.
“As soon as he put on that headset, and realised that he could go wherever we wanted to.
“Just seeing the expressions on his face. The joy for him just to be able to go and find places he’s only read about.”
RMHC North Australia CEO Jennifer Clermont said they were fortunate to have the Therapy pod.
“We try as much as possible to give families uplift in their experience when they’re navigating their child’s medical journey.
“We have 80 to 100 people in the house every single day and having this chair available to them to come and sit in at any time to have their escape to go anywhere in the world is really exciting.”
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Originally published as Ronald McDonald House receives innovative new VR therapy pod
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