Affective Out-World Experience via Virtual Reality for Older Adults Living with Mild Cognitive Impairments or Mild Dementia

Older adults with cognitive impairments may face barriers to accessing experiences beyond their physical premises. Previous research has suggested that missing out on emotional experiences may affect mental health and impact cognitive abilities. In recent years, there has been growing research inter...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2023-02, Vol.20 (4), p.2919
Main Authors: Matsangidou, Maria, Solomou, Theodoros, Frangoudes, Fotos, Ioannou, Konstantinos, Theofanous, Panagiotis, Papayianni, Ersi, Pattichis, Constantinos S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Aged
Cognitive ability
Computer applications
Dementia
Dementia disorders
Emotional behavior
Emotions
Eye movements
Laws, regulations and rules
Mental health
Older people
Physiological responses
Quality of life
Virtual reality
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Summary:Older adults with cognitive impairments may face barriers to accessing experiences beyond their physical premises. Previous research has suggested that missing out on emotional experiences may affect mental health and impact cognitive abilities. In recent years, there has been growing research interest in designing non-pharmacological interventions to improve the health-related quality of life of older adults. With virtual reality offering endless opportunities for health support, we must consider how virtual reality can be sensitively designed to provide comfortable, enriching out-world experiences to older adults to enhance their emotional regulation. Thirty older adults living with mild cognitive impairment or mild dementia participated in the study. Affect and emotional behavior were measured. The usability and the sense of presence were also assessed. Finally, we assessed the virtual reality experiences based on physiological responses and eye-tracking data. The results indicated that virtual reality can positively enhance the mental health of this population by eliciting a positive affective state and enhancing their emotional regulation. Overall, this paper raises awareness of the role of virtual reality in emotion elicitation, regulation, and expression and enhances our understanding of the use of virtual reality by older adults living with mild cognitive impairments or mild dementia.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph20042919