The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
MSPs try out VR headsets in support of neuro centre Health: Dee View Court to expand
MSPs went scuba diving and on safari yesterday as they joined the campaign to support the expansion of an Aberdeen neurological centre.
Virtual reality (VR) technology was used to allow ministers and politicians to escape Holyrood and discover how people with brain conditions can benefit using VR.
The reception, which was hosted by North East Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald, aimed to highlight the shortage of facilities across Scotland, and raise the profile of the £3.9 million expansion of Sue Ryder’s Dee View Court in Aberdeen.
The facility in Kincorth is the only one of its kind in Scotland, offering round-the-clock care to 24 residents, and potentially 20 more in the future.
Pamela Mackenzie, director of neurological services at Sue Ryder, said: “There’s a huge shortfall and deficiency in neurological care across Scotland, so it’s really important that we address this now.”
Mr Macdonald said: “Sue Ryder are using (VR) for people with neurological conditions, so folk who have for example Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, MS at an advanced stage, who aren’t able often to get out of bed.
“What they find is it reduces blood pressure, it calms and relaxes, and for some people who have lost the use of their limbs, they want to walk and they want to do things, it keeps muscles alive.”
Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick announced that the government was finalising the first draft of its national action plan for neurological conditions.