Virtual Reality Birthday Party For 103-year-old - BBC News

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HomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersVirtual reality birthday party for 103-year-old1 April 2022ShareSaveShareSave

BBC

A woman celebrated her 103rd birthday with a virtual walk close to the Cornish coast.

Joyce Penfold from Tresillian House care home in Falmouth wore the virtual reality headset and explored Maker Heights in south-east Cornwall.

Leonie Cooper, from the University of Plymouth, provided the headset and said it allowed people to explore new places.

Ms Penfold said it was a "lovely" experience.

Describing her trip she said: "Sounds like a lot of birds, it reminds me of the gulls I can hear up in my room."

Her daughter Maria Blagden, who was there, said "nothing puts her off".

"I wasn't totally surprised because she does embrace everything that's new, I think she was gone 70 when she took her first flight."

Ms Cooper, a researcher at the university, said: "We enable them to explore new places that they might not be able to access anymore for whatever reason.

"I think it's really special, it really touches me about how excited they get about seeing new places."

The headset works with an omni-directional treadmill which allows the user to move in any direction.

Mrs Penfold said: "I thought it was very strange and different but I was glad I went on it."

The university visits care homes to offer the virtual reality experience to residents.

Asked the secret to a long life, Mrs Penfold added: "Chocolate and whiskey, every night, which I thoroughly enjoy."

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