Next stop, Switzerland: the Australian nursing home bringing the world to residents

Aged care residents in Queensland are being treated to what is believed to be a world-first experience as a virtual reality (VR) immersive luxury rail trip opens its doors in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane.

The first-of-its-kind custom-built travel experience opened at St Vincent's Care Toowoomba in March, with residents saying time in the dining car, named the St Vincent's Express, feels just like "travelling the world again".

The technological leaps may be hard to imagine for those who remember typical aged care homes in the 1970s and 80s, when "nursing homes" often included smaller rooms in apartment blocks and were unlikely to offer care solely focused on wellbeing.

While many aged care settings are beginning to experiment with using VR goggles, and robotic pets to enhance care, particularly for patients with dementia, the Toowoomba centre has instead chosen an immersive experience, allowing guests to share the trip with friends.

Simulating the kind of rail carriage you might encounter while splashing out on a first-class train trip, residents can gaze out virtual windows while taking in the sights and sounds of 10 different countries, with each trip paired with a themed menu.

During its maiden voyage, the virtual train took a ride through the snow-capped alps of Switzerland while residents were served Swiss chocolate, cheese and pastries.

Among those to first try the unique train experience was former Queensland Police Minister Vince Lester and his wife Mary Lester, who live at the Toowoomba centre.

"This was just fantastic and all credit is due to the amazing St Vincent's team who created this great innovation," Mr Lester, 86, said.

"My wife Mary and I were lucky enough to travel to Switzerland when we were younger and this immersive travel experience made us feel like we were really back."

The idea came from Elzette Lategan, St Vincent's residential care services manager, who wanted to help the residents, many of whom live with cognitive impairment, to remember the joy of travel.

"Are we intentionally misleading people about the nature of reality, especially when people might not already be aware of what reality is?" Dr Koh told ACM (publisher of this masthead).

However, Dr Koh, who is currently developing an ethical framework to guide the use of simulated technologies in aged care, said the virtual train was unique in the way it brought together groups of people instead of being a solitary experience.

"The novelty in that is that it really engages a group of people," she said. "It involves a group experience in a very naturalistic setting."