Virtual Reality in long-term integrated care in Portugal
In long-term integrated care units, time is long and the goal is twofold: recover function and preserve quality of life. Therapeutic Virtual Reality serves exactly those two sides.
A different setting from the acute hospital
Portugal's National Network for Long-Term Integrated Care (RNCCI) spans convalescence, medium-stay rehabilitation and long-stay maintenance units. Unlike the acute hospital, stays here are measured in weeks or months, and the patient is often elderly, with reduced mobility and many identical days ahead.
This setting changes what you ask of technology. It's not a one-off intervention but accompanying a journey: rehabilitating, stimulating and comforting, session after session, without overloading a team that is already stretched.
The three areas where Virtual Reality fits
1. Rehabilitation and adherence. Motor recovery in these units depends on repetition — and repetition depends on motivation. Turning exercises into scenarios and gentle games helps the patient stay engaged over weeks, with objective movement data for the team.
2. Cognitive stimulation. In patients with cognitive decline or after a stroke, regular stimulation is part of the plan. Reminiscence scenarios — familiar places, past eras — and cognitive exercises give the team another structured tool.
3. Comfort and wellbeing. Long days take their toll. A calming session — a beach, a forest, a sunset — breaks the monotony, reduces anxiety and lifts mood, without reaching for more medication.
RVer is a non-pharmacological, complementary option. It doesn't replace the rehabilitation plan, medication or clinical judgement — it adds to them, under the unit team's supervision.
Simple for a stretched team
The decisive factor in long-term care is operational. RVer is built for teams with no time for complicated technology: it boots in kiosk mode with one tap, runs 100% offline (the whole library available, no internet needed), and the team controls everything through the Companion app in the browser. Installation and training are included.
Cost and funding
A single device serves many patients over time, which spreads the cost per session. For institutions, it's worth framing the investment within the funding lines and support available for innovation and quality in healthcare — something our team helps map case by case.
In short: through the combination of long stays, rehabilitation and comfort, long-term care units are one of the settings where therapeutic Virtual Reality best shows its value.
Long-term care in your institution?
We help design Virtual Reality use for your type of unit, from cost to training.
Talk to the RVer team