My City Wellness Fall 2021

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they enjoyed the experience, 98 percent reported it was relaxing, and 64 percent said it reduced their anxiety and boredom. “Our virtual reality head sets are a way for patients to transport themselves to a place of happiness, peacefulness and relaxation,” finds Sue Root, GHCI Quality of Life Direc tor, who was instrumental in obtaining the funds needed to offer this service to patients. “Patients are worried and anxious about their chemother apy. ‘What is going to happen? Will I be in pain? Will the treatments work? How long do I need to stay connected to an IV line?’ During their therapy, the minutes seem to drag on and on, and so can their added stress,” Root notes. Studies show that the immersive experience of virtual reality alters the perception of time, making the treatment sessions seem shorter. “If we can provide a positive, relaxing distraction, an escape from their life of cancer, patients will feel much better and more comfortable about their treat ments and leave the clinic feeling much happier,” she finds. “We are helping remove them from the re ality of their treatment and taking them to a place of peacefulness. “You can tell someone how to meditate and imagine they are in a place of calmness, but during a chemotherapy session, that is almost impossible with all of the surrounding distractions,”

BAIVECTOR / STOCK.ADOBE.COM

,I you were given a choice between spending a few hours in a cancer treat ment clinic or on a sunny beach, you’d choose the beach, right? Thanks to virtual reality head sets, patients at Genesys Hurley Cancer Institute (GHCI) are benefiting from technology that allows them to take a mini-va cation while receiving treatment. Now in use at GHCI, VR headsets help cancer patients “travel” to a favorite peace ful destination during their

chemotherapy treatments, helping relieve anxiety, appre hension, depression and pain, and reducing side effects such as fatigue. After their virtual reality experience, patients re portedly feel more energized. Research shows and patients have confirmed that the use of virtual reality headsets is improving their in-clinic expe rience. A pilot study on the VR program documents overwhelm ingly positive comments from patients. All participants said

ALEXANDER OZEROV / STOCK.ADOBE.COM

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