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A Virtual Reality At Home Intervention for People Living with Dementia

Dementia

The goal of the current study is to design and evaluate a virtual reality (VR) at-home intervention to facilitate communication between persons living with dementia (PLwD) and their family/friend care partners, and in turn improve their interpersonal relationships and quality of life. The project also aims to provide a direct comparison of an immersive VR system with non-immersive tablet-based technology.

PLwD and care partner interactions will be recorded during each of the following sessions and then used for the primary measure of verbal and non-verbal communication.

* Picture Book condition (baseline): PLwD and care partner view pictures together on photo album
* VR condition: PLwD watch 360 degree videos on a VR and the care partner watches the same content concurrently on a paired tablet
* Table-Only condition: PLwD and care partner watch 360 videos together on the tablet

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Participation Requirements

  • Sex:

    ALL

  • Eligible Ages:

    18 and up

Participation Criteria

Given the nature of the study, the participating dyads will be required to have access to high-speed internet with a reliable WiFi connection. Additional inclusion/exclusion criteria are as follows:

PLwD inclusion criteria:

* report having dementia
* currently living at home

PLwD exclusion criteria:

* recent history of seizure, epilepsy, head trauma, or stroke
* pacemaker
* cervical conditions or injuries
* open face wounds
* alcohol-related dementia/Korsakoff syndrome
* having a Public Guardian and Trustee as substitute decision maker

Care partner inclusion criteria:

* identify as one of the primary care partners for the PLwD
* able to speak and understands English
* 18 years and older

Care partner exclusion criteria:

* professional/formal care partners for the PLwD
* unable to provide informed consent

Study Location

KITE Research Institute, University Health Network
KITE Research Institute, University Health Network
Toronto, Ontario
Canada

Contact Study Team

Backup Contact

Jennifer Campos, PHD

[email protected]
1-416-597-3422
Primary Contact

Raheleh Saryazdi, PhD

[email protected]
1-416-597-3422
Backup Contact

Raheleh Saryazdi, PhD

Backup Contact

Jennifer Campos, PhD

Study Sponsored By
University Health Network, Toronto
Participants Required
More Information
Study ID: NCT06568211