Virtual tourism for older adults living in residential care: A mixed-methods study

Abstract

Due to financial and mobility barriers, a majority of older adults living in collective dwellings are no longer able to engage in tourism, a leisure activity that contributes to quality of life and wellbeing. Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) may serve as a programmatic tool to facilitate tourism. This pilot study examined the effects of VR tourism exposure on indices of psychosocial wellbeing among older adults living in residential care. Using a mixed-methods study design, 18 older adults were exposed to VR tourism three times a week, over six weeks. Participants reported decreased anxiety and fatigue immediately following exposure, and increased social engagement and quality of life following six weeks of VR tourism. Qualitative data offered additional insight on the process by which VR tourism may enhance wellbeing. Findings suggest that immersive VR tourism may be a viable program for older adults in residential care.

Facilitators and Barriers to Using Virtual Reality and its Impact on Social Engagement in Aged Care Settings: A Scoping Review

“…The content and quality of the VR videos matter for generating an immersive experience. Some residents remarked on poor video quality such as blurred scenery; other residents found the looping of videos boring ( Fiocco et al, 2021 ). They expressed the need for contextual cues and information in the videos; culturally appropriate music, images of high quality, and the appropriate length of videos to improve program quality.…”

“…Immediately after 6 weeks of VR tourism, the participants reported decreased anxiety and fatigue ( Fiocco et al, 2021 ). In an American AL setting, the results show residents felt less socially isolated, showed fewer signs of depression, experienced positive affect more frequently, with improved overall social and emotional well-being ( C. X. Lin et al., 2018 ).…”

“…A stable internet connection ( Thach et al, 2021 ), and the acquisition of VR/AR equipment with better video quality are suggested for better user experiences ( Fiocco et al, 2021 ), which needs structural and financial support from leadership teams in healthcare settings ( Hung et al, 2022 ). Moreover, Brimelow et al (2022) demonstrated the importance of human resource management in the VR implementation to manage staff workload and ensure attendance for VR sessions.…”

“…For example, Saredakis et al (2020) provided personalized video, while Rose et al (2021) shared that some participants preferred a large screen over VR. Fiocco et al (2021) further suggested a way to improve the VR/AR experiences of older adults by having culturally appropriate music.…”

Virtual reality in retirement communities: Technology acceptance and tourist destination recommendation

“…taking international flights; Harvey et al, 2019;Lee & Bowes, 2016;Peltz et al, 2011), the use of VR could let them live a unique experience by virtually visiting a distant tourist 3 destination that they might not otherwise be able to see (Baker et al, 2019a). In fact, a recent study of virtual tourism for older adults living in residential care showed that the 'inability to afford insurance' and 'mobility issues' were the biggest barriers to tourism amongst individuals residing in collective dwellings (Fiocco et al, 2021). Furthermore, although older adults are rarely potential clients of a given tourist destination, they could act as customers in a position to influence the consumer purchase decisions of relatives, peers and close friends to visit this destination.…”