Dementia: I am physically fading. can virtual reality help? physical training for people with dementia in confined mental health units

Abstract

In recent years, there has been growing interest in designing non-pharmacological interventions to improve the quality of life for People with Dementia (PwD) who face motor impairments. This paper investigates the feasibility of using Virtual Reality (VR) technologies for the rehabilitation of 20 patients with moderate to severe dementia residing in a confined psychiatric hospital and discusses the impact of this interactions on motor training. To accomplish this, we present three interrelated studies that refer to: (1) System requirement analysis carried out through a workshop with experts in dementia care; (2) System interaction method assessment by testing two different types of interaction in Virtual Reality, to identify the most suitable for People with Dementia; and (3) A pilot study with patients performing three upper limb physiotherapy tasks in Virtual Reality. The issues encountered during the design, testing and execution of the experimental tasks are discussed and a set of guidelines and recommendations for the future deployment of VR in healthcare services is provided.