An exciting project is set to roll out at PA Hospital, allowing people with communication difficulties to step into an immersive virtual reality (VR) coffee shop.
The ‘Communication Café’ is led by RBWH speech pathologist Dr Clare Burns and designed to help people translate the skills and strategies learnt in therapy to everyday environments.
“This is a project focusing on communication rehabilitation using a 3D virtual coffee shop,” she said.
“You wear a VR headset and go into the café which can be configured by the speech pathologist to mimic the sights and sounds of coffee shop environment.”
“The speech pathologist, patient, and communication partner can engage in the café together, so it provides the opportunity for people to practice their communication skills in this simulated context, to assist with translation to the real world.”
This project is a collaboration between Queensland Health and The University of Queensland, in partnership with the RECOVER Injury Research Centre and support from the Queensland Aphasia Research Centre.
Within Queensland Health, both Metro North Health and Metro South Health are collaborators and have helped to co-design the incredible concept.
“The current phase of this project has been funded by a Queensland Health Clinical Research Fellowship,” said Dr Burns. “We are now implementing and evaluating the VR program in speech pathology services including PA Hospital and 20 patients are going to trial this program across this year.”
Staff at PAH say they’re very excited to be involved.
“I think it’s going to make a monumental difference,” said speech pathologist Kiara Rodrigues.
“To be able to help the patient return to do something that’s so valuable to them is really important. The way you can adapt the café to each patient’s needs and interests is fantastic.”
“We’ve already trialled it with some PAH patients and a patient in his 80s really enjoyed it, so it’s not just for the younger patients.”
The focus isn’t just about using the technology, it’s about engaging with the technology to make a real difference to help patients with a range of communication disorders or difficulties.
Speech Pathology Week runs from 24 – 30 August, and highlights the life-changing power of communication and the critical role speech pathologists play in enabling it.
Thank you to all the incredible speech pathologists at PAH and beyond!