• Principal Investigators
  Munira Sultana, Karen Campbell, Morgan Jennings, Manuel Montero-Odasso, J.B. Orange, Jill Knowlton, Armin St. George, Dianne Bryant
  

 

• Involved Institutions
  Western University, Gait & Brain Lab Parkwood Institute, Lawson Health Research Institute, Mc Master University

 

• Location and Date of Implementation
  Ontario, Canada, between October 2018 and June 2019

 

• Publication
  Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease

 

• Technology Used
  MK360 by Broomx

Context and Intervention

People living with advanced dementia often exhibit reactive behaviors such as apathy, depression, agitation, aggression, and psychosis. To avoid the potential risks associated with antipsychotic medications, non-pharmacological strategies are currently considered the first line of treatment in clinical practice. In this context, the study evaluated for the first time the use of a headset-free immersive virtual reality experience in 24 nursing home residents, providing them with 10 guided 30-minute sessions over a 2-week period.

Key Results

• Feasibility and complete safety: The intervention proved to be fully feasible, with a 0% dropout rate and no adverse events reported.
• Improvement in behavioral symptoms: After completing the intervention, a reduction in participants’ levels of depression and agitation was observed.

 

 

However, the researchers caution that these results should be interpreted with great care due to the study design and the small sample size.

Conclusions and Discussion

This study provides a solid foundation for conducting future randomized controlled trials evaluating the effect of virtual reality on reactive behaviors in nursing home residents. The main conclusion is that the use of a remote smart projector, which eliminates the need to place headsets or glasses on patients, helps avoid exposure to infections. This feature is essential for complying with physical distancing policies in care facilities following the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

 

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