Older Adults’ Experiences with Audiovisual Virtual Reality: Perceived Usefulness and Other Factors Influencing Technology Acceptance

Roberts, Amy Restorick; Schutter, Bob De; Franks, Kelley; Radina, M. Elise

doi:10.1080/07317115.2018.1442380

Cited by 117 publications

(135 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The results from the debriefing questionnaire were positive and in agreement with previous research, finding acceptance of using HMDs in older adults [ 46 - 48 ]. This study further expands the knowledge of acceptability by demonstrating that VR using HMDs can be used to deliver reminiscence therapy with participants of varying levels of cognitive impairment, including minimal, mild, and moderate impairment, as assessed by the PAS.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Using Virtual Reality to Improve Apathy in Residential Aged Care: Mixed Methods Study

Saredakis

Keage

Corlis³

et al. 2020

J Med Internet Res

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Background Apathy is a common symptom in neurological disorders, including dementia, and is associated with a faster rate of cognitive decline, reduced quality of life, and high caregiver burden. There is a lack of effective pharmacological treatments for apathy, and nonpharmacological interventions are a preferred first-line approach to treatment. Virtual reality (VR) using head-mounted displays (HMDs) is being successfully used in exposure- and distraction-based therapies; however, there is limited research on using HMDs for symptoms of neurological disorders. Objective This feasibility study aimed to assess whether VR using HMDs could be used to deliver tailored reminiscence therapy and examine the willingness to participate, response rates to measures, time taken to create tailored content, and technical problems. In addition, this study aimed to explore the immediate effects between verbal fluency and apathy after exposure to VR. Methods A mixed methods study was conducted in a sample of older adults residing in aged care, and 17 participants were recruited. Apathy was measured using the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES), and verbal fluency was used as a proxy measure of improvements in apathy and debriefing interviews to assess feedback from participants. Side effects that can occur from using HMDs were also measured. Results We recruited participants from a high socioeconomic status setting with a high education level, and the participation rate was 85% (17/20); most responses to measures were positive. Access to a wide range of freely available content and the absence of technical difficulties made the delivery of a VR reminiscence intervention highly feasible. Participants had improved semantic scores (t14=−3.27; P=.006) but not phonemic fluency scores (t14=0.55; P=.59) immediately after the intervention. Those with higher levels of apathy demonstrated the greatest cognitive improvements after a VR reminiscence experience, which was indicated by a strong positive relationship between the AES and semantic verbal fluency change scores postminus pre-VR (r=0.719; 95% CI 0.327 to 0.900; P=.003). All participants enjoyed the experience despite 35% (6/17) of participants experiencing temporary side effects. Conclusions This study provides initial evidence that it is feasible to use VR with HMDs for therapy to treat symptoms of apathy in older adults in residential aged care. However, there is a need to closely monitor the side effects of HMD use in older adults. Further research is needed using an active control group to compare the use of VR with traditional forms of reminiscence therapy.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Using Virtual Reality to Improve Apathy in Residential Aged Care: Mixed Methods Study

Saredakis

Keage

Corlis³

et al. 2020

J Med Internet Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The results from the debriefing questionnaire were positive and in agreeance with previous research finding acceptance of using HMDs in older adults (Huygelier et al, 2019;Roberts et al, 2019;Rose et al, 2019). This study further expands the knowledge of acceptability by demonstrating that VR using HMDs can be used to deliver reminiscence therapy with participants of varying levels of cognitive impairment including minimal, mild and moderate as assessed by the PAS.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…Recent research has found that older adults, including those with cognitive decline can tolerate using HMDs and have reported positive experiences (Brimelow, Dawe, & Dissanayaka, 2019;Huygelier, Schraepen, van Ee, Vanden Abeele, & Gillebert, 2019;Roberts, De Schutter, Franks, & Radina, 2019;Rose et al, 2019). There has also been success with using HMDs for memory training in older adults with significant improvements in memory tests (d=.7) compared with a control group receiving music therapy (Optale et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Virtual Reality to Improve Apathy in Residential Aged Care: Mixed Methods Study

Saredakis¹,

Keage²,

Corlis³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Background and Objectives: Apathy is a common symptom in neurological disorders including dementia and is associated with a faster rate of cognitive decline, reduced quality of life and high carer burden. A lack of effective pharmacological treatments for apathy has placed an emphasis on non-pharmacological interventions. Virtual reality (VR) using head-mounted displays (HMD) has been successfully used in exposure and distraction-based therapies, however, there is limited research in using HMDs for symptoms of neurological disorders. This feasibility study assessed if VR using HMDs could be used to deliver tailored reminiscence therapy. Willingness to participate; response rates to measures; time taken to create tailored content; and technical problems were examined.Methods: A mixed methods study was conducted in a sample of older adults residing in aged care, 17 participants were recruited. Apathy was measured using the Apathy Evaluation Scale, verbal fluency was used as a proxy measure of improvements in apathy and debriefing interviews assessed feedback from participants. Side effects that can occur from using HMDs were also measured. Results: Those with higher levels of apathy demonstrated the greatest cognitive improvements after a VR reminiscence experience. All participants enjoyed the experience despite 35% of participants experiencing temporary side effects.Implications: There is a need to closely monitor side effects from HMD use in older adults. This study provides initial evidence that it is feasible to use VR with HMDs for therapy to treat symptoms of apathy in older adults in residential aged care.

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“…Roberts et al also certified that usefulness was a key factor influencing the acceptance of VR by the elderly, and suggested that increasing interactivity could maximize the advantages of VR to promote social interaction with family and friends. The expected categories include travel, continued education, reminiscence, and self-care [28]. In addition, the behavioral intentions of the elderly when experiencing VR leisure activities highlight enjoyment as the major aspect, indicating that when the elderly find an activity that is interesting and relaxing, it helps to improve health [29,30].…”

Section: Social Service Provided By Vr Technologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Acceptance and Influencing Factors of Social Virtual Reality in the Urban Elderly

Shao

Lee

2020

Sustainability

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In the stage of aging society and population aging, the social needs of the elderly are widely discussed by researchers. Especially driven by the demand of tele-medical treatment and tele-rehabilitation therapy, it is vital for the elderly to integrate into virtual communities by combining social virtual reality (VR) with different medical services and entertainment needs. In addition, affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, it is more difficult for people to have face-to-face contacts. With more remote consultation, entertainment and virtual social connectivity, the application of social VR is more urgent and valuable. However, there is little discussion on the acceptability and influencing factors of social VR among the elderly at present. Therefore, in order to get further data, we used (1) early stage semi-structured interviews and then (2) Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) questionnaires for investigation. One hundred fourteen elderly people aged 60–89 living in the metropolitan area of Taipei were taken as the subjects. To help them understand the situation and state of using social VR, these elderly people were asked to use a head-mounted display (HMD) to experience social VR games. The preliminary results showed that the elderly had obvious preference for entertainment (32.4%) and medical treatment (31.3%). The interview showed that this was related to the physiological condition or medical needs of the age range. In order to further understand how social VR would affect the social life of the elderly, we proposed the further demand structure of UTAUT Model based on the interview of both experts and the elderly. The model structures include (1) Performance Expectancy, (2) Perceived Enjoyment, (3) Social Influence, (4) User Attitude, (5) Behavioral Intention, and so on. These structures were applied to conduct interviews and questionnaires to find out the influence extent and relevance of the elderly on different structural needs, and suggestions were given accordingly. The results of the above interviews showed that (1) the elderly thought that the functions of entertaining and interacting of social VR could increase their social opportunities, and also meet medical needs (teleconference, cognitive decline, etc.), (2) the closeness of social relations (between family members, friends, doctors, and places), and also affect the relevance of Perceived Enjoyment (β = 0.77, p = 0.000 < 0.05). The results of these phenomena and interviews showed the interplay between the demand structures and their special relevance. They also indicated that as to social VR technologies, various demands and functional issues of the elderly need to be considered, and these demands would appear in the subtle usage, and different social VR interfaces and functions would emerge based on their special living ways and physical and psychological demands.

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Older Adults’ Experiences with Audiovisual Virtual Reality: Perceived Usefulness and Other Factors Influencing Technology Acceptance

Abstract: As older adults are interested in using VR, especially if poor health prevents the continuation of desirable activities or new experiences, it is important to respond to older adults' preferences and remove barriers that limit use and enjoyment.

Cited by 117 publications

References 15 publications

Using Virtual Reality to Improve Apathy in Residential Aged Care: Mixed Methods Study

Using Virtual Reality to Improve Apathy in Residential Aged Care: Mixed Methods Study

Using Virtual Reality to Improve Apathy in Residential Aged Care: Mixed Methods Study

Acceptance and Influencing Factors of Social Virtual Reality in the Urban Elderly

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