As a self-described bushie, Colin Sloth hasn't ventured far from his rural Queensland hometown of Eidsvold during his 71 years.
Though age has wearied his legs, Mr Sloth is now seeing more of the world than he ever dreamed of from the comfort of his chair in the Eidsvold aged care home.
He's bathed in the sun in Bali and strolled the streets of Rome.
All he has to do is put on some peculiar-looking goggles and the world is suddenly his for the taking.
"I put it on my head, I saw people, beaches, boats," Mr Sloth says.
"Where are we going now sonny? Far, far away."
In the tight-knit town 400 kilometres north-west of Brisbane, people look after their own and that goes for the elderly too.
So when the community banded together to fund the purchase of virtual reality (VR) technology for the hospital's aged care wing, it "changed lives".
"It's created a freedom," Eidsvold Hospital recreation officer Debra O'Rourke said.
"What are [the residents] going to get up for in the morning?
"They're going to get up because they're going to go to the beach today."
'You would go silly'
The hospital has seven aged care beds to cater for the 600-strong community, which has one of the highest proportions of Indigenous residents in Queensland.
Ms O'Rourke said the VR goggles had even more significance in a town where visitors and activities could be few and far between.
"If we wanted to go and do something it's an hour to two hours' travel to get them to see something different," she said.
"So, it was really about how do we bring the world to them, how do we entertain them with not just videos, but immersion?"
Indigenous elder Gail Lister put on her headset to watch a traditional dance at Uluru for the first time in her life.
"I seen him dancing," she said.
"It's like you can just put your hand out and touch them."
Wuli Wuli woman Robyn Chapman pushed hard to get the technology to make it easier for people to grow old close to family and country.
"Just imagine yourself up in a room, having nothing … you would go silly," she said.
"To me, having aged care in a rural area is the most important thing.
"It creates jobs for the community, it creates connection for the residents and you're not taking the connection away from family."
'Fully immersed'
Ms O'Rourke said the VR goggles were having immediate health benefits.
"When I put the goggles on [the residents], it helps them calm down," she said.
"You're fully immersed into that time and moment.
"To me that's the most important thing — the calmness and the immersion, and then when we take them off it sparks that interaction and conversation."
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Professor Evonne Miller has studied ways to improve the experience of healthcare for older people, including using VR.
She said the technology incorporated important health objectives.
"It helps you have more physical ability, more mobility because it's just fun," Professor Miller said.
"People often underestimate how important mental stimulation is, but also how surprisingly real this technology can be."
The Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service (WBHHS) said VR experiences had the potential to benefit residents' physical, mental and social health.
The service said it was excited to continue exploring the technology.
'Colour and joy'
Ms O'Rourke plans to use VR to give the elderly residents a more personalised experience.
"My hope is that I can take my GoPro out to their farms where they once lived and worked," she said.
"I want to go for a ride around their properties so they can see what's changed, what their old properties look like now and other important things that have changed around town."
VR technology is becoming more common in aged care facilities across the nation and Professor Miller said the possibilities and benefits were endless.
"That's the value of this technology — it's a relatively easy and straight-forward introduction that can just bring so much colour and joy," she said.
"This is the way of the future and we can all use it to keep up with different opportunities and experiences."
