WASHINGTON, D.C.: First developed to rehabilitate wounded Israeli soldiers, the virtual reality CAREN machine has also helped hundreds of injured Chinese earthquake victims to take their first steps to recovery.
Now those with dementia in northern England have begun test-driving the same revolutionary rehabilitation system to help with their condition – throwing them into a futuristic world where they can fight sharks, drive high-speed cars and try downhill skiing.
A specialist brain charity in Salford has installed the contraption – which is called Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment. The CAREN device, the first of its kind to be used by the public in the UK, puts patients at the helm of interactive games and activities and exposes them to ski slopes and shark-infested waters without any danger…