Virtual Reality for Dementia Care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Deployment and Evaluation of Virtual Reality for Dementia Care
IRAS ID
297620
Contact name
Chee Siang Ang
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Kent
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, days
Research summary
Background
Many people diagnosed with dementia cannot experience going outside by themselves like they once could, affecting their quality of life and well-being. Research shows that non-pharmacological interventions give the best improvement and recovery from this condition. The introduction of new technology such as Virtual Reality (VR) can provide access to break through the restriction and allow dementia patients to experience a new environment whilst in a safe location.
Aim
This study will identify opportunities and challenges of deploying VR in a care home setting to support people with mild, mild to moderate, and moderate dementia where caregivers co-create VR experiences in different care scenarios and where the impact of VR on the well-being and cognitive processes is assessed. It will also investigate how family members/caregivers can co-experience VR remotely and explore the challenges and opportunities of designing such a technology.
Method
The VR intervention will be carried out in three parts: two face-to-face sessions and one remote session. Tutorials will be given to caregivers and family members prior to the study's start.
A staff member will record the residents’ sleeping patterns the night before and after the exposure. There will be a selection of different virtual environments based on the residents’ preference to engage with the VR system for thirty minutes.
Caregivers will observe residents for 15 minutes before, during and after 3 hours of each exposure using validated measurements. More data will be collected through two sets of validated questionnaires, two sets of non-validated questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The Interviews will be thematically analysed to establish themes. VR sessions and interviews will be video recorded to complete the above data analysis. All the data will be stored in a locked cabinet or a password-protected computer where once the data analysis is complete, they will both be deleted.REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
21/WA/0140
Date of REC Opinion
10 May 2021
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion