When Wallsend's Janelle Manning puts on her virtual reality headset, she's helping her brain get better as well as having fun.
"The doctors told me I'd never walk again. I'm going for my driver's licence in a few weeks," she said.
Janelle, who had a stroke nine years ago at age 48, does rehabilitation at Newcastle company Engage VR.
Craig Hewat, the company's managing director, said "she's a legend - she keeps progressing".
"It's not just us, Janelle has done a cracking job," Mr Hewat said.
"We're big on improving people's function - driving, walking, washing and ironing - which gives back independence."
While Janelle wasn't overly keen on washing and ironing, she likes the VR treatment.
"I think it's just switching on my brain again, reconnecting to the parts that were damaged," she said.
Engage VR has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the region's Primary Health Network.
By using a virtual reality telehealth platform, the company aims to overcome geographical barriers, long wait times and limited health services.
The project is for telehealth services in Newcastle, Tamworth and Armidale.
It's mainly aimed at people affected by stroke, brain injury, Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis.
"Clients come in and do an assessment with us. We work out which areas they need to work on and give them a headset to take home," Mr Hewat said.
"If they come into the clinic for normal therapy, they'll do an activity to improve strength, balance and cardiovascular fitness.
"With the headset, we're getting them to do that activity in a virtual world.
"They might be punching balls or doing memory tasks, fine motor skills with their hands or balancing."
The virtual reality approach adds gaming elements to the tasks to encourage participation.
Mr Hewat said it was "a fun and engaging" way to do rehab.
"People say the biggest problem with rehab is it's boring. That's why people stop or don't do enough of it. They get sick of it," he said.
"If we get them doing activities they're not used to, like riding a horse, flying, driving a race car or fighting Sylvester Stallone, the brain starts to develop new connections.
"That's called neuroplasticity."
The Newcastle program, which begins next month, will involve patients going into the Lambton clinic once a week, then doing a VR telehealth session at home.
An Energy VR clinician dials into the headset to help the patient.
"We're in the headset working with them, while they're doing the activity," he said.
He added that this virtual rehab was "cost-effective".
"If you're in regional NSW, you've got to drive to a clinic, find parking and pay for therapy twice a week," he said.
"We provide a headset, so they can do some sessions themselves."
His company also uses VR technology to help people with cancer, long COVID, cerebral palsy and brain and spinal cord conditions.
"We also treat people who have had concussion in sport. That's essentially a brain injury.
"Mostly we treat people with more complex conditions."
Mr Hewat has lived in Newcastle for 25 years.
"I'm almost local," he joked, adding "I'm a country boy at heart".
"I was born and bred in country Victoria. My aim is to take healthcare to the bush," he said.
