#36 - Rethinking Rehabilitation: What Happens When Engagement Becomes the Treatment with Craig Hewat
October 5, 2025 • 21 mins
What if the missing piece in rehabilitation isn’t a new device, but a reason to show up tomorrow? We sit down with Craig Hewat, Managing Director of Engage VR, to explore how immersive therapy shifts the focus from compliance to genuine engagement—and why this change unlocks neuroplasticity for individuals with stroke, brain injury, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s.
Craig brings three decades in allied health and a simple mandate: make rehab personal, frequent, and enjoyable enough to repeat. We unpack the science in plain language, offering short, regular sessions and novel challenges that build new brain pathways and map them to real-world design. This includes at-home VR sessions, casted views for caregivers, wearable integrations for safety, and adaptive activities that keep people motivated. From a caravan equipped with Wi-Fi to a farmer strapping a phone to a shovel on a ute to catch a signal, these stories demonstrate how access can become an outcome when therapy can travel anywhere.
Behind the scenes, clinicians co-create modules with developers, transforming sit-to-stand, gait cueing, and speech tasks into interactive experiences that log data and adjust difficulty levels. Partnerships with universities, health services, and insurers add rigour and reach. At the same time, a Primary Health Network project in regional Australia demonstrates strong adherence to three hours of weekly sessions, each twenty minutes long, right where it matters. We also step back to the system level: an ageing population and vast distances demand digital health that is practical, measurable, and cost‑aware. VR isn’t a gimmick here; it’s a helpful way to deliver the repetition and novelty that recovery needs.
If you’re curious about where rehabilitation is headed—and how dignity, independence, and daily function can improve when care meets people where they live, this conversation offers both science and story.
Subscribe, share with someone who needs a spark, and leave a review with the one barrier you’d most like technology to remove.
Thank you for listening!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Leon Goltsman (00:00):
Hello and welcome back to Engaging Conversations.
I'm your host, Leon Goltsman,and each week we sit down with
people who are reshaping what'spossible for our health,
communities, and future.
Today's episode is all aboutinnovation and impact and the
courage to challenge what'salready been done.
My special guest is CraigHewat, Managing Director of
(00:21):
Engage VR, a groundbreakingrehab and allied health service
using immersed virtual realityto transform how people recover
from conditions like stroke,brain injury, and Parkinson's.
Craig brings over 30 years ofexperience in the health sector,
and his approach is simple butpowerful.
Engage people, personalisetheir rehab, and empower them to
(00:45):
keep going, whether they're ina clinic, at home, or even
camping in the bush.
Together, we'll explore thescience of neuroplasticity, how
VR builds new pathways in thebrain, and why meeting clients,
where they are physically,emotionally, and
technologically, is reshapingwhat recovery can look like.
(01:05):
This episode is proudly broughtto you by N iaz Cannoth and
the team at Napean AdvancedRehab and Allied Health Centre,
where lives are changed everyday.
Through expert rehab servicesdelivered with compassion,
integrity, and results, guidedby a powerful purpose,
empowering movement, restoringlife.
(01:26):
Their work with people likeCraig proves that when care is
personal, outcomes are powerful.
And for the disclaimer, theviews shared in this episode are
for informational purposes onlyand do not constitute for
medical advice.
If you're curious about whererehabilitation is headed and how
technology is creating newpossibilities for independence,
(01:47):
dignity, and daily living, thisis a conversation worth leaning
into.
So without further ado, let'sget into it.
Craig Hewat (01:56):
Hi, my name's Craig Hewat.
I'm managing director of EngageVR Rehab, which is a business
based in Newcastle.
We're a multidisciplinarybusiness, so we've got a range
of allied health professionals,physiotherapists, occupational
therapists, exercisephysiologists, speech
pathologists, and two visitingrehab physician doctors into our
(02:17):
clinic.
And we treat a range of clientswith complex conditions such as
brain injury, stroke,Parkinson's, etc.
And I suppose the onedifferentiating factor about our
business is we use virtualreality extensively in our
clinic and with clients inregional and remote areas, very
much in the digital healthspace.
Leon Goltsman (02:38):
And you've always believed that rehab could be
more engaging, morepersonalized.
What was the moment that madeyou think there has to be a
better way than what we aredoing right now?
Craig Hewat (02:48):
I've always thought that way, Leon, to be honest.
I mean, that's been me in myjourney of health always
challenging can we do thisbetter?
And most of it comes back froma just a want to improve
clients' function, maintain someclients' function because
they've got a degenerativedisease, but mostly trying to
improve clients' function.
(03:09):
In my 30 years that I've beenin health, I've always
challenged how we can do thisbetter.
And when I first saw someoneusing virtual reality, that
that's what clicked with me.
I was like, okay, this is it'snot the only solution, but it's
certainly part of the solution,I think, to really improve how
we're delivering health servicesacross Australia.
Leon Goltsman (03:30):
Yeah, well, it seems like you're not just
tinkering at the edges, you'retrying to flip the model.
And uh and you said engaged VRchallenges the status quo.
And we've had a fewconversations leading up to
this.
But what we really want to knowis what exactly uh are you
challenging and what kind ofresults are you seeing because
of it?
Craig Hewat (03:51):
We're challenging engagement.
It's the really the the the umthe reason why we called the
business engage vr because thecommon uh truth out there is
that people don't particularlyengage well with their
rehabilitation at any level,really.
You know, from the days when Iwas a uh younger physio working
(04:13):
in a private practice and Iasked people to go home and do
their exercises, the engagementlevel was normally pretty low.
When you've got a complexdisease or condition like
stroke, Parkinson's,Huntington's, you know, you've
had a spinal cord injury, therepetition and frequency of
rehabs really, really important.
So you need to do three, four,five plus hours a week.
(04:38):
So if you if you're notenjoying it, things are gonna
not go well.
So you need to engage.
And that's the I suppose thelight bulb moment I had when I
saw VR was this is one uh oneway to really get people engaged
in what they're doing.
Let me explain what I mean.
We have a client uh that's beenuh attending our business since
(04:59):
inception, even through COVID,that has Huntington's disease,
which is a degenerative,aggressive at times degenerative
disease, who was previouslyattending allot health services
and wasn't really engaging withhis activity, and then he would
go home and not really do anyother uh form of rehabilitation.
(05:21):
As soon as he was exposed tovirtual reality experiences that
we have in the clinic, and thenwas able to take that VR
headset home and and do thoseclinical experiences at home,
his engagement levels went wentthrough through the roof,
really.
He he did a lot of rehabactivity and he was able to
(05:43):
because he had you know he hadthe time, he was slowing down at
work, moving from full-time topart-time, and then eventually
retired.
But he was he was doing a lotof activity and his results that
we track and we do assess a lotof different criteria, his
results stabilized.
And when he went down toWestmead Hospital to visit his
(06:05):
specialist on a regularoccurrence, his specialists were
actually quite surprised thathis results had somewhat
stabilized and that his data wasreasonably stable, and it has
been over the last four or fiveyears, which is very unusual for
a Huntington's uh client.
Leon Goltsman (06:22):
Well, when people tend to slow down, the um the
lack of movement they theybecome slower, they they lose
their ability to um to moveforward, to progress.
And uh the idea of challengingoneself and doing new activities
is creating new pathways, andthat runs deeper than just tech.
Craig, when you talk about newpathways for clients,
(06:46):
professionals, and partners,what does that actually look
like in practice?
Craig Hewat (06:51):
Well, there's a concept um in in the neur
neurological space calledneuroplasticity, which a lot of
people may have heard of, andthat's the ability really for
the brain, um, you know, neuralconnections in the brain to
adapt and use other neuralconnections.
So I'll give you I'll give youan example.
We all use approximately, theresearch tells us, around 40% of
(07:15):
our neural connections on aregular basis.
And because we do the samething uh every day, we probably
get up in the same bed, samecar, same family, same
environment.
There's no other reason why youwould want to use other neural
connections.
So to get that neuroplasticityor new pathways occurring, you
(07:35):
need two main things.
You need a lot of repetition,which I've already explained.
You know, VR is a beautiful umavenue for that.
And you also need to expose thebody to things it's not used to
doing.
So, and in VR, we can putpeople into experiences where
they're underwater diving,skiing, hang gliding, boxing
with uh Sylvester Sallone.
(07:57):
So that that exposes the brainand the body to a totally
different experiences thatcreates potentially creates new
pathways.
And even you know, you asked mearound clinicians, um, we a lot
of the clinicians that work inour business don't get exposed
to this tech through university.
Coming into our business, theyget exposed to a new pathway.
(08:20):
They they they're doingdifferent things than probably
what they thought they weregoing to be doing in the allied
health space.
Leon Goltsman (08:26):
And the brand's ability to rewire itself is very
powerful if we give it theright input.
Uh it seems it seems that wayto me anyway.
Craig Hewat (08:35):
Yeah, 100%.
We see that differently inclients.
And obviously, we're stillworking with a lot of uh
universities to uh reviewresearch around some of the data
that we're presenting, butclinically, clinically we see
some really good results with umdifferent clients, Parkinson's,
Huntington's, brain injuredclients, and yeah, a lot of our
(08:57):
clinicians will tell you thatusing VR, they they notice a
significant difference.
So, and that's lots of reasonswhy that happens.
Leon Goltsman (09:04):
So tell me, how does VR rehab tap into
neuroplasticity in a waytraditional therapy might
struggle to match?
Craig Hewat (09:12):
Yeah, so as I as I said, it's it's basically around
the two key principles ofneuroplasticity, which is
repetition.
So the the research is very bigon uh shorter duration rehab
sessions, so 20 minutes, andmore regular, more frequent
sessions, so six, eight, tentimes a week.
Very difficult to do that ifyou want to attend a clinic and
(09:35):
see a clinician to do six toeight to ten sessions a week.
One, it'd cost you a lot, two,you'd have to get in your car a
lot and come to different areas.
So when you've got a VRplatform that we've developed,
you can do that anywhere.
And the recent primary healthnetwork project we did in the
New England region, our clientsuse the platform on an average
(09:55):
three hours a week.
So that's you know, on anaverage 20 to 25 minute session.
So that's basically perfect.
That's what we want them to do.
So that repetition, the VRenables that repetition, and
then as I was saying before, itenables it us to expose clients
um to totally differentexperiences that they're not
(10:17):
used to, and that's where theadaptation occurs.
Leon Goltsman (10:21):
Well, consistency is the key in rehab, uh, but
traditional models, they justdon't make it easy.
How has Engage VR helpedclients to go beyond the
standard two times a week model?
And what difference does itactually make?
Craig Hewat (10:36):
So the I suppose the technology enables clients
to to access their health rehabanywhere at home.
Um, we've got a great examplewhere a lot of our clients will
tell us they're going to visittheir son-in-laws or
daughter-in-laws, or they'regoing around Australia for a
trip, they're going on a holidayfor six weeks, and so they need
(10:57):
to stop their rehabilitation.
The human body deconditions in10 days, so that happens very
quickly.
A lot of our clients that havegot access to our VR platform
will take it with them andcontinue doing their rehab
exercises at their son-in-law's,at their daughter-in-laws.
We've got some beautiful videosof our clients doing their
rehab in a caravan becausethey've put Starlink and they've
(11:20):
got Wi-Fi and so they'recontinuing their rehab.
So that that allows them to dothat six times a week, shorter
duration sessions, um, moreregularly.
Leon Goltsman (11:29):
And you've answered my next question.
The location shouldn't dictaterecovery outcomes.
Craig Hewat (11:34):
No, we've got a great story around that,
actually, which I'd love toshare.
We work with a lot of clients,um, you know, Narrabro,
Narrabrai, Gunadar, uh,obviously very regional, rural
areas.
Uh, one of our clientsparticularly was very devoted to
his rehab.
He was out in the middle of hisproperty and he was camping out
(11:54):
with a few of his friends, andum he was trying to get some
signal to to use his VRplatform.
So he taped a shovel to theback of his Ute, drove it to the
top of a hill, taped his mobilephone to the to the shovel, and
then paired his mobile phonewith his VR platform and did his
(12:15):
his rehab on the back of hisute in the middle of his farm,
which uh was a fascinatingstory, and it's obviously ran it
resonated really well with ourclinicians and clients.
So there you go.
You you literally our clientscan do do their rehab wherever
they wherever they they canaccess a connection, and uh and
(12:36):
that's getting better and betterin Australia these days.
Leon Goltsman (12:38):
And they're innovating in new creative ways.
Craig Hewat (12:42):
Yeah, correct.
Using our shovel.
Our clients are uh innovatingjust as well as we are.
Leon Goltsman (12:47):
Craig, is it a um spade or a shovel?
Which one would you call it?
Craig Hewat (12:52):
Well, he called it a shovel, so I'll call it call
it a shovel.
It evidently worked well forhim.
He said he was there for about20 minutes doing his speech
pathology uh exercises in on theVR platform.
So well, great story.
Leon Goltsman (13:07):
And you get to come across many different
people, and even theprofessionals need a new
pathway.
Let's say for healthprofessionals feeling burnt out,
how does Engage VR give themsomething fresh to believe in?
Craig Hewat (13:19):
Well, I suppose it's a new field for them, and
when our clinicians come in,they can certainly collaborate
with our development team tobuild these clinical experiences
that experiences that wecommonly do in the clinic today,
and then they get to use themon our VR platform, which is
really exciting for a clinicianto see that come to life and for
(13:40):
a client to be able to use thaton a on a daily basis.
Um, and it really opens, Isuppose, a lot of our
clinicians' eyes and minds in ain how they can deliver their
therapy with our clients.
Most of the time they reallyenjoy it.
So we uh I suppose ourclinicians also really enjoy the
(14:00):
fact that we collaborate withlarger organizations as well.
So, you know, we we're workingclosely with uh a lot of the
support organizations, um, NewSouth Wales Health, Alliance
Insurance, those tool type oforganizations to really
collaborate with our clinicianstogether to see if we can
deliver an innovative productfor their clients as well.
(14:22):
So that's exciting for ourclinicians to be part of that
because we're in this together.
I'm learning that uhorganizations are looking for
you know what's coming next.
There's a lot of talk aroundAI, particularly, but more so
digital health and technologyand how we're going to use that
moving forward.
(14:42):
So a lot of these largerorganizations are looking at can
that help us provide betteraccess for clients to access
health services, because that isa big issue, and uh more
effective health services, whichI've spoken about earlier.
And then the other thing isobviously you know, more
cost-effective services.
(15:02):
So, yeah, that collaborationbetween large organizations and
what we're trying to do isessential to our focus.
Yeah, I mean, certainly thehealth system has its challenges
at the moment.
We've got a large aged caregrowth of that population, and
we need to be able to manage thehealth of that population well.
(15:26):
So we've also got a regional uhrural population which is
getting bigger and bigger.
So there are some significantchallenges in how we manage
that.
And I think digital health,especially VR and the platform
we've developed, is part of thesolution.
And I think we've learned overthe years full well that we we
(15:46):
we just can't be shippingclinicians out to regional
areas.
It's not working, it hasn'tworked all that well.
So we really need to look atdigital technology and how we
can use that better.
And we've proven that, right,with the the primary health
network grant that we did lastyear, uh into this year, that it
was extremely effective in in alot of those regional rural
(16:07):
areas like Gunnar, Glen Innis,Narabroy, uh, all of those
areas.
It it worked really well.
So we think it's certainly partof the future.
Leon Goltsman (16:17):
Well, you're just scratching the surface.
Craig Hewat (16:20):
Yeah, we are very excited.
We're working with um a lot ofuniversities, Central Queensland
Uni, Newcastle University, um,particularly Flinders
University.
We're doing a lot of projectswith them uh and their
biomedical team in their speechpathology team.
We were successful with aprimary health network game
changer grant uh that ran fromJune 2024 to June 2025.
(16:46):
So we've just wrapped up thatgrant.
Uh, and that gave us a lot ofinformation around the use of
the digital VR digital healthplatform.
Some of the exciting thingswe've built in there is the
ability to cast the VR imageonto a laptop so a carer can see
exactly what the client isdoing in their VR headset.
(17:07):
So that was a really excitinginnovation.
We're also building in theconnection with wearables, so
smartwatches and other smartdevices, so that we can track
physiological data from thatclient whilst they're doing that
experience.
And that's really importantfrom us, for us as clinicians,
(17:27):
but it's also important for theclient so they can be safe and
you know, really, really do a uhspecific uh experience relevant
to what they need.
So there's a lot of differentthings happening.
Um, we're doing a lot of workwith different universities,
particularly FlindersUniversity, in their biomedic
with their biomedical team andalso their speech pathology
(17:48):
team, where we've got someexciting things happening.
Leon Goltsman (17:51):
There certainly are lots of exciting things.
But if someone's listeningwalks away remembering only one
thing, what should it be?
Craig Hewat (17:59):
Engage VR is challenging the status quo, the
the status of rehabilitation forlots of different complex
injuries over the years.
It's it's challenging thatreally and look at the delivery
of how we deliver rehab um forbetter function, but also for
better access.
And essentially it's reallystripping back to a data-based
(18:23):
science because we're scientistsat the end of the day looking
at how we can use data,assessment data, but also the
data we get from um people doingthese experiences regularly,
and how we can m improve ormaintain their function to get
better results.
Leon Goltsman (18:40):
Now, if someone wanted to get in contact with
you, what's the easiest way?
Craig Hewat (18:44):
So people can get in touch uh via our website,
which is www.engagevr.com.au, orthey can call our clinic on
1300engage, which is1300-364-243.
Leon Goltsman (19:01):
So that's uh engage vr.com.au or 1300engage
four two four.
That's right.
Perfect.
Craig, thank you so much forcoming on.
I will have more information inthe show notes.
It's always wonderful to catchup, to chat, and I look forward
to speaking with you again soon.
Craig Hewat (19:21):
Thanks, Leon.
Appreciate it.
Leon Goltsman (19:23):
Now that was a conversation that reminds us
what's possible when care meetsinnovation and when we put
people at the heart of progress.
Craig Hewat and the team atEngage VR aren't just
introducing new technology,they're creating new pathways
for healing, recovery, and hope.
It's the kind of thinking,forward, compassionate and
(19:44):
grounded in real outcomes that'shelping reshape how we support
individuals, families andcommunities across the country.
If you'd like to learn more,head over to engagevr.com.au or
check out the show notes fordirect links and contact
details.
And if this episode sparkedsomething in you, you're in the
(20:06):
right place.
Engaging conversations isn'tjust a podcast, it's a platform
for real stories, genuineconnections, and shine a light
on people doing remarkable work,often behind the scenes.
Unlike other shows, our missionis clear to celebrate the
unsung heroes, help them findtheir voice, and remind you that
(20:28):
your voice matters too.
This movement is growing, andnow it's expanding into print.
Keep an eye out for our newpublications celebrating
connections, launching incommunities across Australia.
It's our way to segue into thenew year on the high and setting
the stage for even biggerthings ahead.
So if you believe in buildingsomething meaningful, if you
(20:49):
value depth over noise, and ifyou want to be part of a
community that uplifts andconnects, make sure to follow
the show.
Share it with someone yourespect, and stay with us as we
step into what's next.
And once again, a massive thankyou to Niaz Cannoth and the
team at Napean Advanced Rehaband Allied Health Centre for
(21:09):
supporting the platform and thevalues it stands for.
Empowering movement, restoringlife.
At Engaging Conversations,we're committed to building
communities by empowering voicesand celebrating people.
And every episode, every story,and every listener brings us
one step closer.
I'm Leon Goltsman, and untilnext time, let's keep showing
(21:32):
up, lifting each other, andcreating something meaningful
together.
Hello and welcome back to Engaging Conversations.
I'm your host, Leon Goltsman,and each week we sit down with
people who are reshaping what'spossible for our health,
communities, and future.
Today's episode is all aboutinnovation and impact and the
courage to challenge what'salready been done.
My special guest is CraigHewat, Managing Director of
(00:21):
Engage VR, a groundbreakingrehab and allied health service
using immersed virtual realityto transform how people recover
from conditions like stroke,brain injury, and Parkinson's.
Craig brings over 30 years ofexperience in the health sector,
and his approach is simple butpowerful.
Engage people, personalisetheir rehab, and empower them to
(00:45):
keep going, whether they're ina clinic, at home, or even
camping in the bush.
Together, we'll explore thescience of neuroplasticity, how
VR builds new pathways in thebrain, and why meeting clients,
where they are physically,emotionally, and
technologically, is reshapingwhat recovery can look like.
(01:05):
This episode is proudly broughtto you by N iaz Cannoth and
the team at Napean AdvancedRehab and Allied Health Centre,
where lives are changed everyday.
Through expert rehab servicesdelivered with compassion,
integrity, and results, guidedby a powerful purpose,
empowering movement, restoringlife.
(01:26):
Their work with people likeCraig proves that when care is
personal, outcomes are powerful.
And for the disclaimer, theviews shared in this episode are
for informational purposes onlyand do not constitute for
medical advice.
If you're curious about whererehabilitation is headed and how
technology is creating newpossibilities for independence,
(01:47):
dignity, and daily living, thisis a conversation worth leaning
into.
So without further ado, let'sget into it.
Craig Hewat (01:56):
Hi, my name's Craig Hewat.
I'm managing director of EngageVR Rehab, which is a business
based in Newcastle.
We're a multidisciplinarybusiness, so we've got a range
of allied health professionals,physiotherapists, occupational
therapists, exercisephysiologists, speech
pathologists, and two visitingrehab physician doctors into our
(02:17):
clinic.
And we treat a range of clientswith complex conditions such as
brain injury, stroke,Parkinson's, etc.
And I suppose the onedifferentiating factor about our
business is we use virtualreality extensively in our
clinic and with clients inregional and remote areas, very
much in the digital healthspace.
Leon Goltsman (02:38):
And you've always believed that rehab could be
more engaging, morepersonalized.
What was the moment that madeyou think there has to be a
better way than what we aredoing right now?
Craig Hewat (02:48):
I've always thought that way, Leon, to be honest.
I mean, that's been me in myjourney of health always
challenging can we do thisbetter?
And most of it comes back froma just a want to improve
clients' function, maintain someclients' function because
they've got a degenerativedisease, but mostly trying to
improve clients' function.
(03:09):
In my 30 years that I've beenin health, I've always
challenged how we can do thisbetter.
And when I first saw someoneusing virtual reality, that
that's what clicked with me.
I was like, okay, this is it'snot the only solution, but it's
certainly part of the solution,I think, to really improve how
we're delivering health servicesacross Australia.
Leon Goltsman (03:30):
Yeah, well, it seems like you're not just
tinkering at the edges, you'retrying to flip the model.
And uh and you said engaged VRchallenges the status quo.
And we've had a fewconversations leading up to
this.
But what we really want to knowis what exactly uh are you
challenging and what kind ofresults are you seeing because
of it?
Craig Hewat (03:51):
We're challenging engagement.
It's the really the the the umthe reason why we called the
business engage vr because thecommon uh truth out there is
that people don't particularlyengage well with their
rehabilitation at any level,really.
You know, from the days when Iwas a uh younger physio working
(04:13):
in a private practice and Iasked people to go home and do
their exercises, the engagementlevel was normally pretty low.
When you've got a complexdisease or condition like
stroke, Parkinson's,Huntington's, you know, you've
had a spinal cord injury, therepetition and frequency of
rehabs really, really important.
So you need to do three, four,five plus hours a week.
(04:38):
So if you if you're notenjoying it, things are gonna
not go well.
So you need to engage.
And that's the I suppose thelight bulb moment I had when I
saw VR was this is one uh oneway to really get people engaged
in what they're doing.
Let me explain what I mean.
We have a client uh that's beenuh attending our business since
(04:59):
inception, even through COVID,that has Huntington's disease,
which is a degenerative,aggressive at times degenerative
disease, who was previouslyattending allot health services
and wasn't really engaging withhis activity, and then he would
go home and not really do anyother uh form of rehabilitation.
(05:21):
As soon as he was exposed tovirtual reality experiences that
we have in the clinic, and thenwas able to take that VR
headset home and and do thoseclinical experiences at home,
his engagement levels went wentthrough through the roof,
really.
He he did a lot of rehabactivity and he was able to
(05:43):
because he had you know he hadthe time, he was slowing down at
work, moving from full-time topart-time, and then eventually
retired.
But he was he was doing a lotof activity and his results that
we track and we do assess a lotof different criteria, his
results stabilized.
And when he went down toWestmead Hospital to visit his
(06:05):
specialist on a regularoccurrence, his specialists were
actually quite surprised thathis results had somewhat
stabilized and that his data wasreasonably stable, and it has
been over the last four or fiveyears, which is very unusual for
a Huntington's uh client.
Leon Goltsman (06:22):
Well, when people tend to slow down, the um the
lack of movement they theybecome slower, they they lose
their ability to um to moveforward, to progress.
And uh the idea of challengingoneself and doing new activities
is creating new pathways, andthat runs deeper than just tech.
Craig, when you talk about newpathways for clients,
(06:46):
professionals, and partners,what does that actually look
like in practice?
Craig Hewat (06:51):
Well, there's a concept um in in the neur
neurological space calledneuroplasticity, which a lot of
people may have heard of, andthat's the ability really for
the brain, um, you know, neuralconnections in the brain to
adapt and use other neuralconnections.
So I'll give you I'll give youan example.
We all use approximately, theresearch tells us, around 40% of
(07:15):
our neural connections on aregular basis.
And because we do the samething uh every day, we probably
get up in the same bed, samecar, same family, same
environment.
There's no other reason why youwould want to use other neural
connections.
So to get that neuroplasticityor new pathways occurring, you
(07:35):
need two main things.
You need a lot of repetition,which I've already explained.
You know, VR is a beautiful umavenue for that.
And you also need to expose thebody to things it's not used to
doing.
So, and in VR, we can putpeople into experiences where
they're underwater diving,skiing, hang gliding, boxing
with uh Sylvester Sallone.
(07:57):
So that that exposes the brainand the body to a totally
different experiences thatcreates potentially creates new
pathways.
And even you know, you asked mearound clinicians, um, we a lot
of the clinicians that work inour business don't get exposed
to this tech through university.
Coming into our business, theyget exposed to a new pathway.
(08:20):
They they they're doingdifferent things than probably
what they thought they weregoing to be doing in the allied
health space.
Leon Goltsman (08:26):
And the brand's ability to rewire itself is very
powerful if we give it theright input.
Uh it seems it seems that wayto me anyway.
Craig Hewat (08:35):
Yeah, 100%.
We see that differently inclients.
And obviously, we're stillworking with a lot of uh
universities to uh reviewresearch around some of the data
that we're presenting, butclinically, clinically we see
some really good results with umdifferent clients, Parkinson's,
Huntington's, brain injuredclients, and yeah, a lot of our
(08:57):
clinicians will tell you thatusing VR, they they notice a
significant difference.
So, and that's lots of reasonswhy that happens.
Leon Goltsman (09:04):
So tell me, how does VR rehab tap into
neuroplasticity in a waytraditional therapy might
struggle to match?
Craig Hewat (09:12):
Yeah, so as I as I said, it's it's basically around
the two key principles ofneuroplasticity, which is
repetition.
So the the research is very bigon uh shorter duration rehab
sessions, so 20 minutes, andmore regular, more frequent
sessions, so six, eight, tentimes a week.
Very difficult to do that ifyou want to attend a clinic and
(09:35):
see a clinician to do six toeight to ten sessions a week.
One, it'd cost you a lot, two,you'd have to get in your car a
lot and come to different areas.
So when you've got a VRplatform that we've developed,
you can do that anywhere.
And the recent primary healthnetwork project we did in the
New England region, our clientsuse the platform on an average
(09:55):
three hours a week.
So that's you know, on anaverage 20 to 25 minute session.
So that's basically perfect.
That's what we want them to do.
So that repetition, the VRenables that repetition, and
then as I was saying before, itenables it us to expose clients
um to totally differentexperiences that they're not
(10:17):
used to, and that's where theadaptation occurs.
Leon Goltsman (10:21):
Well, consistency is the key in rehab, uh, but
traditional models, they justdon't make it easy.
How has Engage VR helpedclients to go beyond the
standard two times a week model?
And what difference does itactually make?
Craig Hewat (10:36):
So the I suppose the technology enables clients
to to access their health rehabanywhere at home.
Um, we've got a great examplewhere a lot of our clients will
tell us they're going to visittheir son-in-laws or
daughter-in-laws, or they'regoing around Australia for a
trip, they're going on a holidayfor six weeks, and so they need
(10:57):
to stop their rehabilitation.
The human body deconditions in10 days, so that happens very
quickly.
A lot of our clients that havegot access to our VR platform
will take it with them andcontinue doing their rehab
exercises at their son-in-law's,at their daughter-in-laws.
We've got some beautiful videosof our clients doing their
rehab in a caravan becausethey've put Starlink and they've
(11:20):
got Wi-Fi and so they'recontinuing their rehab.
So that that allows them to dothat six times a week, shorter
duration sessions, um, moreregularly.
Leon Goltsman (11:29):
And you've answered my next question.
The location shouldn't dictaterecovery outcomes.
Craig Hewat (11:34):
No, we've got a great story around that,
actually, which I'd love toshare.
We work with a lot of clients,um, you know, Narrabro,
Narrabrai, Gunadar, uh,obviously very regional, rural
areas.
Uh, one of our clientsparticularly was very devoted to
his rehab.
He was out in the middle of hisproperty and he was camping out
(11:54):
with a few of his friends, andum he was trying to get some
signal to to use his VRplatform.
So he taped a shovel to theback of his Ute, drove it to the
top of a hill, taped his mobilephone to the to the shovel, and
then paired his mobile phonewith his VR platform and did his
(12:15):
his rehab on the back of hisute in the middle of his farm,
which uh was a fascinatingstory, and it's obviously ran it
resonated really well with ourclinicians and clients.
So there you go.
You you literally our clientscan do do their rehab wherever
they wherever they they canaccess a connection, and uh and
(12:36):
that's getting better and betterin Australia these days.
Leon Goltsman (12:38):
And they're innovating in new creative ways.
Craig Hewat (12:42):
Yeah, correct.
Using our shovel.
Our clients are uh innovatingjust as well as we are.
Leon Goltsman (12:47):
Craig, is it a um spade or a shovel?
Which one would you call it?
Craig Hewat (12:52):
Well, he called it a shovel, so I'll call it call
it a shovel.
It evidently worked well forhim.
He said he was there for about20 minutes doing his speech
pathology uh exercises in on theVR platform.
So well, great story.
Leon Goltsman (13:07):
And you get to come across many different
people, and even theprofessionals need a new
pathway.
Let's say for healthprofessionals feeling burnt out,
how does Engage VR give themsomething fresh to believe in?
Craig Hewat (13:19):
Well, I suppose it's a new field for them, and
when our clinicians come in,they can certainly collaborate
with our development team tobuild these clinical experiences
that experiences that wecommonly do in the clinic today,
and then they get to use themon our VR platform, which is
really exciting for a clinicianto see that come to life and for
(13:40):
a client to be able to use thaton a on a daily basis.
Um, and it really opens, Isuppose, a lot of our
clinicians' eyes and minds in ain how they can deliver their
therapy with our clients.
Most of the time they reallyenjoy it.
So we uh I suppose ourclinicians also really enjoy the
(14:00):
fact that we collaborate withlarger organizations as well.
So, you know, we we're workingclosely with uh a lot of the
support organizations, um, NewSouth Wales Health, Alliance
Insurance, those tool type oforganizations to really
collaborate with our clinicianstogether to see if we can
deliver an innovative productfor their clients as well.
(14:22):
So that's exciting for ourclinicians to be part of that
because we're in this together.
I'm learning that uhorganizations are looking for
you know what's coming next.
There's a lot of talk aroundAI, particularly, but more so
digital health and technologyand how we're going to use that
moving forward.
(14:42):
So a lot of these largerorganizations are looking at can
that help us provide betteraccess for clients to access
health services, because that isa big issue, and uh more
effective health services, whichI've spoken about earlier.
And then the other thing isobviously you know, more
cost-effective services.
(15:02):
So, yeah, that collaborationbetween large organizations and
what we're trying to do isessential to our focus.
Yeah, I mean, certainly thehealth system has its challenges
at the moment.
We've got a large aged caregrowth of that population, and
we need to be able to manage thehealth of that population well.
(15:26):
So we've also got a regional uhrural population which is
getting bigger and bigger.
So there are some significantchallenges in how we manage
that.
And I think digital health,especially VR and the platform
we've developed, is part of thesolution.
And I think we've learned overthe years full well that we we
(15:46):
we just can't be shippingclinicians out to regional
areas.
It's not working, it hasn'tworked all that well.
So we really need to look atdigital technology and how we
can use that better.
And we've proven that, right,with the the primary health
network grant that we did lastyear, uh into this year, that it
was extremely effective in in alot of those regional rural
(16:07):
areas like Gunnar, Glen Innis,Narabroy, uh, all of those
areas.
It it worked really well.
So we think it's certainly partof the future.
Leon Goltsman (16:17):
Well, you're just scratching the surface.
Craig Hewat (16:20):
Yeah, we are very excited.
We're working with um a lot ofuniversities, Central Queensland
Uni, Newcastle University, um,particularly Flinders
University.
We're doing a lot of projectswith them uh and their
biomedical team in their speechpathology team.
We were successful with aprimary health network game
changer grant uh that ran fromJune 2024 to June 2025.
(16:46):
So we've just wrapped up thatgrant.
Uh, and that gave us a lot ofinformation around the use of
the digital VR digital healthplatform.
Some of the exciting thingswe've built in there is the
ability to cast the VR imageonto a laptop so a carer can see
exactly what the client isdoing in their VR headset.
(17:07):
So that was a really excitinginnovation.
We're also building in theconnection with wearables, so
smartwatches and other smartdevices, so that we can track
physiological data from thatclient whilst they're doing that
experience.
And that's really importantfrom us, for us as clinicians,
(17:27):
but it's also important for theclient so they can be safe and
you know, really, really do a uhspecific uh experience relevant
to what they need.
So there's a lot of differentthings happening.
Um, we're doing a lot of workwith different universities,
particularly FlindersUniversity, in their biomedic
with their biomedical team andalso their speech pathology
(17:48):
team, where we've got someexciting things happening.
Leon Goltsman (17:51):
There certainly are lots of exciting things.
But if someone's listeningwalks away remembering only one
thing, what should it be?
Craig Hewat (17:59):
Engage VR is challenging the status quo, the
the status of rehabilitation forlots of different complex
injuries over the years.
It's it's challenging thatreally and look at the delivery
of how we deliver rehab um forbetter function, but also for
better access.
And essentially it's reallystripping back to a data-based
(18:23):
science because we're scientistsat the end of the day looking
at how we can use data,assessment data, but also the
data we get from um people doingthese experiences regularly,
and how we can m improve ormaintain their function to get
better results.
Leon Goltsman (18:40):
Now, if someone wanted to get in contact with
you, what's the easiest way?
Craig Hewat (18:44):
So people can get in touch uh via our website,
which is www.engagevr.com.au, orthey can call our clinic on
1300engage, which is1300-364-243.
Leon Goltsman (19:01):
So that's uh engage vr.com.au or 1300engage
four two four.
That's right.
Perfect.
Craig, thank you so much forcoming on.
I will have more information inthe show notes.
It's always wonderful to catchup, to chat, and I look forward
to speaking with you again soon.
Craig Hewat (19:21):
Thanks, Leon.
Appreciate it.
Leon Goltsman (19:23):
Now that was a conversation that reminds us
what's possible when care meetsinnovation and when we put
people at the heart of progress.
Craig Hewat and the team atEngage VR aren't just
introducing new technology,they're creating new pathways
for healing, recovery, and hope.
It's the kind of thinking,forward, compassionate and
(19:44):
grounded in real outcomes that'shelping reshape how we support
individuals, families andcommunities across the country.
If you'd like to learn more,head over to engagevr.com.au or
check out the show notes fordirect links and contact
details.
And if this episode sparkedsomething in you, you're in the
(20:06):
right place.
Engaging conversations isn'tjust a podcast, it's a platform
for real stories, genuineconnections, and shine a light
on people doing remarkable work,often behind the scenes.
Unlike other shows, our missionis clear to celebrate the
unsung heroes, help them findtheir voice, and remind you that
(20:28):
your voice matters too.
This movement is growing, andnow it's expanding into print.
Keep an eye out for our newpublications celebrating
connections, launching incommunities across Australia.
It's our way to segue into thenew year on the high and setting
the stage for even biggerthings ahead.
So if you believe in buildingsomething meaningful, if you
(20:49):
value depth over noise, and ifyou want to be part of a
community that uplifts andconnects, make sure to follow
the show.
Share it with someone yourespect, and stay with us as we
step into what's next.
And once again, a massive thankyou to Niaz Cannoth and the
team at Napean Advanced Rehaband Allied Health Centre for
(21:09):
supporting the platform and thevalues it stands for.
Empowering movement, restoringlife.
At Engaging Conversations,we're committed to building
communities by empowering voicesand celebrating people.
And every episode, every story,and every listener brings us
one step closer.
I'm Leon Goltsman, and untilnext time, let's keep showing
(21:32):
up, lifting each other, andcreating something meaningful
together.
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