RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 VRx@Home protocol: A virtual reality at-home intervention for persons living with dementia and their care partners
JF BMJ Open
JO BMJ Open
FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group
SP e085442
DO 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-085442
VO 14
IS 12
A1 Saryazdi, Raheleh
A1 Appel, Lora
A1 Lewis-Fung, Samantha
A1 Carsault, Lou-Anne
A1 Qi, Di
A1 Garcia-Giler, Eduardo
A1 Campos, Jennifer L
YR 2024
UL http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/12/e085442.abstract
AB Introduction Virtual reality (VR) technology is increasingly used by researchers and healthcare professionals as a therapeutic intervention to improve the quality of life of persons living with dementia (PLwD). However, most VR interventions to date have mainly been explored in long-term or community care settings, with fewer being explored at home. Setting is important, given that the majority of PLwD live at home and are cared for by their family care partners. One of the challenges affecting PLwD and care partner relationships is barriers in communication, which can lead to social isolation and poor quality of life for both parties. Thus, the goal of the proposed project is to explore whether an immersive, multisensory VR intervention can facilitate communication between PLwD and their care partners and, in turn, enhance personal relationships and improve well-being.Methods and analysis Thirty dyads comprised of PLwD and their family/friend care partners will participate in this at-home intervention. Their interactions will be recorded as they experience a series of 360° videos together (eg, concert, travel) either using a VR headset (PLwD) with a paired tablet (care partner) or using only a tablet together. The two conditions will allow us to compare immersive VR technology to more common non-immersive tablet-based technology. The study will begin with at-home training and baseline data collection. The intervention will then take place over a 4-week period, with the two conditions (VR vs tablet-only) experienced 2 weeks each. A comprehensive set of measures will be employed to assess the quality and quantity of dyadic interactions, such as verbal/non-verbal language (eg, informativity, gestures) and self-reported measures of well-being and quality of life.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval for the study was granted by the University Health Network (#21–5701). Findings will be shared with all stakeholders through peer-reviewed publications and presentations.Clinical registration This study has been registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT06568211).