We’re Bringing VR Experiences into the Homes of People Living with Dementia

Back in October, we were proud to win a grant from Innovate UK and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to develop a new virtual reality service for people living with dementia and receiving care at home. It marked an important step for our business.

We already know our VR headsets and app make a measurable difference in care facilities. We’ve seen how immersive experiences can improve mood and create meaningful shared experiences between residents, staff, and family members.

But there is another group who could arguably benefit even more, and that’s individuals living with dementia at home. For many people receiving care in their own homes, opportunities for social interaction and community engagement can become limited. 

Reduced mobility, health challenges, and practical barriers often mean that familiar outings and cultural visits gradually stop. Over time, this can contribute to increased isolation. We wanted to explore how our technology could help address that challenge.

Providing Virtual Reality to Locals

Rather than trying to scale immediately, we made a deliberate decision to start small and focus on our local area. This is a place where we have already recorded a significant amount of content and where we have strong relationships with cultural organisations. 

Our goal is to film places in the local area that people might genuinely want to visit, and give them access to those locations from the comfort of their own front rooms. By doing this, we aim to reconnect individuals with spaces that may hold personal memories, whether that’s somewhere they visited regularly, took their children, or simply enjoyed as part of their community.

Capturing Meaningful Local Venues

So far, we’ve had the privilege of recording at some incredible locations, including The Deep and Hull New Theatre. These venues are part of the local identity and, for many people, part of their life story.

Being able to virtually step back into these spaces can help stimulate reminiscence, encourage conversation with carers and family members, and reintroduce a sense of connection to the wider community.

Expanding Access Through Virtual Reality

The purpose of this project is not to replace real-world experiences. It is to provide an accessible alternative when those experiences are no longer physically possible.

For individuals living with dementia at home, even small barriers can significantly reduce opportunities to go out. By bringing high-quality, locally filmed VR experiences directly into people’s homes, we can help:

• Reintroduce familiar environments

• Stimulate memory and conversation

• Support emotional wellbeing

• Reduce feelings of isolation

Importantly, this service is being designed specifically with home care in mind, ensuring it is simple to use, supportive for carers, and suitable for people with varying levels of cognitive ability.

Recreo VR: Looking Ahead

Winning support from Innovate UK and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has enabled us to develop and test this service in a focused, meaningful way. We believe that people living with dementia at home deserve the same opportunities for stimulation, reminiscence, and connection as those in residential care.

As we continue filming new locations and refining the service, our focus remains clear: to help people reconnect with the places that matter to them, without needing to leave their living room.

If you would like to learn more about this project or explore how our VR services could support people in your community, we welcome you to get in touch.