The challenge
It’s not often you get the opportunity to make a difference to someone’s quality of life. When those people are hospice patients coming to terms with the end of life, you stop everything to help.
Dr Sheila Popert is a palliative care expert and former Medical Director at Lichfield’s St Giles Hospice. She challenged us to create a virtual environment so immersive that it could instantly transport a terminally ill patient to a place of calm, away from their physical and emotional distress, that could help to manage their pain without medication.
The response
We partnered with Dr Popert to recreate the enveloping environment of a tropical rainforest. Accompanied by the soothing narration of Sir David Attenborough, the ‘Forest of Serenity’ simulates a secluded clearing and invites users to immerse themselves in its sights and sounds. Through guided meditation, they are prompted to explore the space, while visualising and transposing their pain.
Spatial audio enhances the realism still further, placing sounds within the simulation at their exact point of origin, with bird calls coming from high in the canopy and the flow of a waterfall providing a relaxing soundscape.
Produced initially at room-scale, the application was later adapted to 360˚ VR video, allowing many more patients to experience from its physical and emotional benefits.
The result
The forest revealed a hidden property of VR not only to transform surroundings, but also to alleviate suffering.
Some users were able to reduce their reliance on opioids, leaving them better able to interact with family and friends. One, who could only sleep in a chair because of the pain in their chest, was able to spend their final nights more comfortably in a bed.
Now finding a wider role in palliative care, the application is also being used as a longer-term solution to emotional and psychological pain management.
The reaction
“The results were amazing. It is wonderful to observe patients’ body language as they become immersed in a virtual world where they can forget their pain, without pharmaceutical treatments. I am exploring the potential of other applications and look forward to seeing the Holosphere team bring them to life.”
Dr Sheila Popert
Medical Director
If you can, please make a donation to St Giles Hospice on their website.