The Long-term Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality Reminiscence in People With Dementia: Longitudinal Observational Study

Ling-Chun Huang; Yuan-Han Yang

doi:10.2196/36720

The Long-term Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality Reminiscence in People With Dementia: Longitudinal Observational Study

JMIR Serious Games. 2022 Jul 25;10(3):e36720. doi: 10.2196/36720.

Authors

Ling-Chun Huang^#^{1

2}, Yuan-Han Yang^{1

2

3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
² Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
³ School of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
⁴ Neuroscience Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 35877169
PMCID: PMC9361147
DOI: 10.2196/36720

Abstract

Background: Novel nonpharmacological therapies are being developed to prevent cognitive decline and reduce behavioral and psychological symptoms in patients with dementia. Virtual reality (VR) reminiscence was reported to improve anxiety, apathy, and cognitive function immediately after intervention in individuals at residential aged care facilities. However, its effect on elderly patients with dementia and how long this effect could last remain unknown.

Objective: The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of immersive VR reminiscence in people with dementia both immediately after and 3-6 months after intervention.

Methods: A pilot study was conducted in 2 dementia care units. VR reminiscence therapy sessions were conducted twice per week for a 3-month period. Cognitive function, global status, depressive symptoms, and caregiver burden were assessed before and immediately after VR intervention in 20 participants. Subsequently, 7 participants were reassessed 3-6 months after the VR intervention. Wilcoxon sign-rank test was used for statistical comparisons of the changes.

Results: There were no significant changes in cognitive function, global status, and caregiver burden immediately after the VR intervention, but there was a significant reduction in depressive symptoms (P=.008). Moreover, compared with the cognitive function immediately after VR, it kept declining 3-6 months after.

Conclusions: Immersive VR reminiscence can improve mood and preserve cognitive function in elderly patients with dementia during the period of the intervention. Studies using a control group and comparing the use of VR with traditional forms of reminiscence should be conducted in the future to confirm and expand on these findings.

Keywords: dementia; long-term care; reminiscence; virtual reality.