Alzheimer Europe Conference
POS2.09_FLYNN Aisling_Designing a virtual reality familiarisation environment for older adults living with dementia (002)
Main Author: Aisling Flynn, NUI Galway - Co-Authors: David Healy & Gearóid Reilly & Margueritte Barry & Sam Redfern & Attracta Brennan & Dympna Casey
Introduction:
Virtual reality is a technology increasingly being used in the field of dementia care. The emerging nature of this technology calls for the design of virtual spaces which are suited to the dynamic needs of older adults living with dementia. Research calls for adequate introduction and training relating to the technology. Therefore, the design of a familiarisation environment as a pre-requisite to extended VR use was considered important.
The familiarisation environment aims to:
Design a VR space which is evidence-based and tailored to the needs of older adults living with dementia.
Expose older adults with dementia to the basic functionality and interactions associated with fully-immersive VR.
Methods and Analysis:
The design of the VR space was informed by the findings of two systematic reviews (Flynn et al., 2021; Healy et al.,2021). The review findings were used to establish design guidelines and considerations for the VR space. These guidelines were used to inform a first-iteration prototype. The prototype was trialed by an advisory partnership which consisted of two people living with dementia.
Results and Findings:
Through iterative refinement of the prototype and incorporation of the views of the advisory partnership, the final prototype has been refined. This prototype will be evaluated as part of a participatory action research project. It is anticipated that the training environment will be used as a familiarisation tool for older adults living with dementia and their support person. The environment will be evaluated to explore it's perceived usability. This will provide useful information for the design of future VR spaces.
Conclusion:
The design of a VR training environment may provide a means of familiarising older adults living with dementia with the basic functionality of the technology and allow them to better engage in subsequent VR spaces.
POS2.09_FLYNN Aisling_Designing a virtual reality familiarisation environment for older adults living with dementia (002)
Main Author: Aisling Flynn, NUI Galway - Co-Authors: David Healy & Gearóid Reilly & Margueritte Barry & Sam Redfern & Attracta Brennan & Dympna Casey
Introduction:
Virtual reality is a technology increasingly being used in the field of dementia care. The emerging nature of this technology calls for the design of virtual spaces which are suited to the dynamic needs of older adults living with dementia. Research calls for adequate introduction and training relating to the technology. Therefore, the design of a familiarisation environment as a pre-requisite to extended VR use was considered important.
The familiarisation environment aims to:
Design a VR space which is evidence-based and tailored to the needs of older adults living with dementia.
Expose older adults with dementia to the basic functionality and interactions associated with fully-immersive VR.
Methods and Analysis:
The design of the VR space was informed by the findings of two systematic reviews (Flynn et al., 2021; Healy et al.,2021). The review findings were used to establish design guidelines and considerations for the VR space. These guidelines were used to inform a first-iteration prototype. The prototype was trialed by an advisory partnership which consisted of two people living with dementia.
Results and Findings:
Through iterative refinement of the prototype and incorporation of the views of the advisory partnership, the final prototype has been refined. This prototype will be evaluated as part of a participatory action research project. It is anticipated that the training environment will be used as a familiarisation tool for older adults living with dementia and their support person. The environment will be evaluated to explore it's perceived usability. This will provide useful information for the design of future VR spaces.
Conclusion:
The design of a VR training environment may provide a means of familiarising older adults living with dementia with the basic functionality of the technology and allow them to better engage in subsequent VR spaces.