Care homes are thinking outside the box and offering potential, new residents virtual tours

A growing number of care homes are thinking outside the box and are embracing technology so they can offer potential, new residents virtual tours of their setting.

Since lockdown, care homes have closed their doors to visitors in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections. Although restrictions are easing, many care homes are still only offering visits outside as the threat of coronavirus is still very real.

Yet people do still need residential care and care homes are beginning to open their doors to new residents, so for many the virtual tour has been extremely valuable.

The virtual tour has been 'invaluable' to us during the pandemic

A spokeswoman for Halcyon Care Homes says: “We have used the virtual tour for both our care homes. This has been invaluable for us especially during the current pandemic. The tour has allowed those enquiring, the opportunity to look around our care home in great detail.

“We offer this feature after we have had a visit giving the opportunity for families and friends to go away and take their time looking at all the facilities we have to offer or, if they are unable to come into the home then this option is great.”

Xpansive Digital, a leading specialist in this field has seen demand for virtual tours grow this year due to the pandemic.

Justyn Shea, its director says: “Brochures and photos on a website can provide some sense of the facilities on offer in a particular home, but they cannot convey the day-to-day reality of living there.

“There’s ultimately no substitute for a visit if you really want to experience a place, but that is much more complicated than it once was in the era of COVID-19.”

Even without the lifechanging presence of COVID-19, virtual tours can provide a quick and easy way of viewing a care home without having to physically spend the time driving to and from the residential setting especially if they don’t live close.

Of course it is important to experience a care home in reality and speak to the staff and residents but virtual tours give you a vital insight into a care home. It also enables the potential resident to view the care home prior to visiting or moving in and allay any anxieties they may have.

“Anxious relatives naturally want to ensure the older person will be comfortable and content in their new surroundings.

“The situation can be urgent, with quick decisions required. But how do family members find the best home for their aged parent or relative, especially if they live hundreds of miles away and have limited time to spare from their own busy lives?

Virtual tours can save a lot of time and energy

“A way to identify and experience the most promising homes at a distance could save those relatives a huge amount of time and energy. And yes, there is now a way to do just that. Anyone with access to the internet can explore remote locations before they visit them through the medium of a virtual tour,” adds Mr Shea.

“3D virtual tours allow potential customers, clients and visitors to immerse themselves in each location, ‘walking’ through them in vivid virtual reality. They click from one point to the next to move through the premises and explore.

“Virtual tours are hosted online in a rich web portal complete with branding, information on the venue, 3D map and models, and even promotional videos. They are easy to embed on a website and can be provided in social media-friendly formats.

“Virtual tours are an ideal addition to any care home website. Managers and staff will be able to direct stressed families in search of the best care home to these powerful online resources, providing reassurance.

“In the COVID-19 era, when most care homes have enacted strict social distancing to protect their vulnerable residents, a virtual tour may be the only way for families to explore a home before their relative moves in,” he says.

Xpansive Digital’s tour also allows for ‘hot spots’ which are information tags that can be added anywhere on the virtual tour so the viewer can access information about the care home, contact details, social media links and to book a viewing.

For more information about virtual tours click here