Participatory design and evaluation of virtual reality physical rehabilitation for people living with dementia

Abstract

Emerging research confirms the need for technologically enhanced solutions to support non-pharmacological interventions which can improve the quality of life, the mental and physical health of demented people. Several types of research examined if virtual reality can be an effective solution. This paper aims to present the cyclic process of prototyping, testing, analysing, and refining the VR system in real-world clinical settings. Seven people with moderate to severe dementia were recruited. The experiment required the patients to attend three virtual reality iterations of rapid prototyping with user testing. All three iterations involved training activities with upper body movements similar to their usual physical training. A mixed-methods design measured affect and emotional behaviour using the Observed Emotion Rating Scale and the Visual Analog Scale. Content analysis was conducted following observations and interviews. During each iteration of rapid prototyping with user testing, quantitative measurements of performance, independence and time were recorded. Eye tracking and movement information were captured by the system. Finally, a simplified version of the presence and usability scales evaluated the system. The results of this study provide further evidence that virtual reality can play a significant role in the improvement of people’s with dementia physical training and emotional health when is appropriately designed. The results present the vital factors which should be incorporated in a virtual reality system which are: 1) a simple interactions modality; 2) visible visual targets and continuous feedback; 3) personalized virtual environments; 4) personalized range of movements.

Introducing and Familiarising Older Adults Living with Dementia and Their Caregivers to Virtual Reality

“…After 20–25 min, people living with dementia or their caregivers were asked to finish using the technology and return to the physical space. This time limit is consistent with the existing VR literature in the field of gerontology and dementia care [ 14 , 60 ].…”

Artificial intelligence-driven virtual rehabilitation for people living in the community: A scoping review

“…In a general co-design framework, there is ongoing feedback and iterative discussion between patients, clinicians, and researchers with the aim of improving the development, design, and usability of VRehab platforms and incorporating patients’ views during the process. By utilizing a co-design framework, the VRehab platform will be more usable, effective, motivational, engaging, and customized to meet the specific needs of clinicians and patients 75 . Furthermore, a co-design approach is essential since VRehab platforms are intended for use by patients at home without the presence or supervision of clinicians.…”

Interactive virtual reality environments and emotions: a systematic review

“…With the above said, the data analysis focuses on the scoring of positive and negative emotions using presence to obtain a promising result, so they both come to stand out. Matsangidou et al (2023) aimed to show their VR prototyping process in clinical settings along with testing and analysis as they re ned it, so throughout the experiment 3 prototypes were developed: (a)…”