An MSc student used virtual reality elephants and musicians as tools to help people living with dementia in a care home.
Richard Short, a post-registration MSc student who is now working at South West Yorkshire Foundation Trust, told a session at RCOT’s annual conference about his work with three people in a residential private care home.
Richard was interested in the work as dementia can diminish people’s skills for social functioning. ‘People with dementia can be surrounded by people in care services, but still be lonely,’ he said.
The eight-week intervention sought to improve social functioning and community engagement for the three participants, all of whom had Addenbrooke’s cognitive examination scores of under 75.
A PlayStation 4 was used with four different videos, including a wildlife encounter, a violinist and a pianist, and real and digitally-generated natural environments.
The results showed progressive positive trends in some categories, with users willing to express opinions, give information and get more involved in discussions. Their mood improved both during the visit and when thinking back on it in follow-up sessions. And for many it posed a chance to remember old memories, with participants going on to discuss time spent in Kenya and a visit to an Andre Rieu concert earlier in life.
‘We used generic experiences so participants can bring their life experiences to bear,’ said Richard.
No participants had problems with differentiating virtual reality from actual reality, or from motion sickness. Participants were spoken with throughout the exercises to ensure they remained safe and comfortable with the work, but all found the system easy to use.
He suggested it could offer a way to provide stimulation for people who can’t readily go outside.