Askham Village Community has partnered with Neuromersiv, a brand that looks to enable therapists and medical professionals to make neuro-rehab therapy more diverse and engaging through utilising the increasing capabilities of immersive VR.
Focussing on those recovering from a stroke, Askham Rehab will be looking to trial the new technology over a six-month period to explore its ability in facilitating functional movements and training for its patients — providing a unique opportunity that will also assist with research and inform the further development of the software.
Neuromersiv’s upper-limb therapy system Ulysses is currently the only neuro-rehab VR system that uses functional tasks performed in virtual daily living environments to enable repetitions for neuroplasticity.
Askham, based in Cambridgeshire, will be looking to prioritise the simulation of functional tasks including personal care, kitchen use and bathroom use — with the ultimate goal of re-establishing independent living.
Neuromersiv, co-founded by Anshul Dayal and Oliver Morton-Evans, is an Australian-based company that has brought together a group of leading subject matter experts as advisors to provide their wealth of knowledge, skills and support for the next generation in neuro-rehab.
Having recently been registered as a class 1 software medical device with the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Ulysses has also undergone a phase 1 clinical trial in Australia – where it helped in delivering promising clinical outcomes.
The technology could unlock new opportunity to help transition stroke survivors back to living independently.
Sara Neaves, clinical lead and outpatients service manager at Askham Rehab, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Neuromersiv for this six-month trial and to see how it impacts the recovery of our patients.
“For someone who has had a life-changing stroke, regaining independence is so important and to think that assistive technology in the form of VR can help accelerate this, is something we just had to be part of.
“At Askham, we always try to remain at the sharp end of innovation and when the opportunity to be the first trialists in the UK presented itself, we were very keen to get involved.”
Askham Village is a family-run community with a rehabilitation service that has transformed the lives of many individuals, which has a remote setting, robotic equipment and state-of-the-art gym and hydrotherapy services to boost rehab potential.
Anshul Dayal, co-founder of Neuromersiv, added: “We are really excited to be partnering with a progressive organisation like Askham to trial our VR technology.
“The partnership will not only provide us with the opportunity to gain insights on our product from clinicians working on the forefront of improving lives, but also provide us with a springboard for our broader commercialisation strategy in the United Kingdom and Europe.”
Sara continued: “In the world of rehabilitation, innovation is paramount and to see the capabilities of technology develop over the years is a testament to the creative minds in the industry.
“Neuromersiv is looking to use its expertise for the betterment of neuro-rehab patients — something we also pride ourselves on at Askham — making this the perfect meeting of minds.”
For more information on Askham Rehab, visit https://askhamrehab.com/
Sara Neaves was recently interviewed on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire to talk about the partnership which can be heard below:
