VIREAS: Virtual Reality in Keeping Oldere Adults active
User Experience
experience
, healthcare
, housing
, patient
, technology
, wellbeing
A set of virtual experiences VIREAS (The Set) has been developed based on several tests and studies among care home residents. The Set contains three virtual experiences: "Walk through a Forest," "Walk through the City Center," and "Travel." The interactive design combines computer graphics and 360?pictures. The Set is designed to positively influence older adults' self-expression and self-confidence, motivate them and stimulate their curiosity. The Set allows older users, especially those in care homes, to see places they cannot visit in the real world and brings them new stimuli they can share with others. The software VIREAS is beneficial mainly in care homes as tool for keeping residents active. The conceptual manual Virtual Reality and Its Use in Care Homes and Beyond focus both on the technical matters of virtual reality use and aspects of the virtual experience, together with the procedures that will make it possible to fully utilize the potential of this method.
Overview:
The aim is to have guidelines that can help define the correct use of virtual reality in the rehabilitation of the elderly. For this reason, this handbook is created to understand the potential, critical issues and solutions of the technology used.
Objectives:
Understanding how VR can help with the needs of the elderly. Reducing social isolation, improving perceived well-being and understanding how to use virtual reality for psycho-physical rehabilitation of the patient
Initiatives:
It is useful to create a methodology to understand how best to use the technology, adapting it to the target audience. It also provides examples of training with the virtual experience.Considers the ethical implications and skills needed in the use of VR
Shortcomings:
Management costs are not yet well defined, nor is a specific technology proposed
Relevance Description:
Beyond rehabilitation processes, this work puts the patient's needs at the centre. It therefore focuses on the person's needs and the possible difficulties that may arise when using these technologies
Opinion:
This work could be useful to structure a work plan, which would allow for already defined steps to understand the potential/criticality of the tool and the people who would use it for rehabilitation
Sources:
https://nju.jcu.cz/images/nakladatelstvi/pdf_knihy/metodika-vr-ekniha-en-i_final.pdf
Keywords:
Virtual Reality - MCI - Dementia - Rehabilitation
Email:
ef.pillitteri@outlook.com