Becoming Victor

Becoming Victor is a virtual reality learning tool provided by Frailty360. It is one of a suite of resources available from Frailty360 and can be downloaded for use free of charge. You have the option to experience what it may feel like to live with mild, moderate, and severe frailty with inbuilt reflection.

Frailty virtual reality has become a core component of our Enhanced Care for Older People programme over the last 18-months, from 15-minute drop-in sessions to longer workshops. I used it as a case study for my excellent Post-Graduate Certificate in Higher Education at Northumbria University, so can now say with authority, that the frailty simulation provides "a disorientating dilemma within a transformational learning experience." Before that though, I would have said that experiencing what it may feel like to live with frailty makes you deeply think about your practice and motivates you to provide better care. Here’s what I’ve learned:

1. Need for a supported debrief.

Learners may have loved ones who live with frailty; in many of our settings most patients live with frailty. It would be a disservice to be offered the experience of feeling the frustrations and vulnerability which others may have, without being offered a further chance to understand and process this. It may also reinforce negative impressions of ageing- most people over the age of 65 do not live with frailty. We use a straightforward 'What? So What? Now What?' reflective model which can help the learner regain a sense of control and developed a method for solo and group reflection.

2. Provides a shared experience

There is little more powerful than having the same experience as others. A room of people being honest about what took them by surprise, what it's helped make sense of, and what they want to remember, builds a sense of community and agency for change. Powerful indeed when that group are the MDT working within the same setting and will take this back to practice.

3. Understand the physical impact

We do our very best to give learners a comfortable environment. Space but containment. Not too hot or cold., light or dark. Not an empty or full stomach (especially on fish and chips Friday). For longer sessions, where people spend up to 45 minutes working through stages of frailty, we roam the room with water and suggest breaks, or alternatives. Our pre-brief has evolved to include vertigo, motion-sickness, tinnitus as all can be triggered. Not everyone can use 3D headsets, so in-house, we are developing our own alternative experience which can be used in 3D or 2D.

My own learning? Technology can be a marvellous learning tool but needs applying and is not an end to itself.