Planet Wellbeing

For the last 12 months, a focus group of older people has been meeting and co-designing a virtual reality with Sheffield Hallam University: Sheffield Hallam University: Planet Wellbeing and PixelMill: PixelMill Digital.

Sheffield Hallam is now recruiting for the next phase of their project exploring how virtual reality can be used to improve mental health and reduce loneliness for older people.

One in 15 people aged 50+ are often lonely, rising to one in three for those who are widowed, and one in four for those in poor health. Loneliness and social isolation have numerous mental and physical health consequences. Sheffield Hallam is interested in exploring how technology can be used to support older people to connect with others. With the help of older people, they have developed a working prototype of Planet WellBeing.

This uses digital technology to allow people to use natural physical movements to perform fun and engaging activities with other people in a virtual environment. The project is funded by Innovate UK, a public body that supports research and is being delivered with PixelMill, a UK company based in Manchester that specialises in producing computer software for virtual reality.

Sheffield Hallam will be looking for 12 adults aged over 50, who experience feelings of loneliness, who live independently in the community, and who have TV and internet access in their homes to take part in a trial of Planet Wellbeing. They will provide participants with training and the technology to plug into their TV set at home. Then ask a series of questions about the technology to see how it affects your everyday life.

Are you interested in participating? you can submit directly by clicking here:  Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management