Department of Communication, University of California Santa Barbara.
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara.
Health Commun. 2023 Oct;38(9):1904-1915. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2022.2040170. Epub 2022 Mar 6.
This study examines whether using virtual reality (VR) with older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild to moderate dementia with a family member who lives at a distance can improve the quality of life of the older adult and the family member. Twenty-one older adults in a senior living community and a family member (who participated in the VR with the older adult from a distance) engaged in a baseline telephone call, followed by three weekly VR sessions. The VR was associated with improvements in older adults' affect and stress, relationship with their family member, and overall quality of life, compared to baseline. Family members' negative affect, depressive symptoms, and caregiver burden also decreased and their mental health improved after using the VR, compared to baseline. Using the VR, however, did not change their relationship with the older adult. In addition, older adults and family members who experienced the VR sessions as more socially engaging reported better psychological and relational well-being, with older adults also experiencing greater improvements in overall quality of life. Finally, preliminary results suggest that older adults with dementia and their family members might benefit even more from using the VR than older adults with MCI and their family members.
本研究考察了在有轻度认知障碍（MCI）或轻度至中度痴呆的老年人中使用虚拟现实（VR）与居住在远方的家庭成员一起使用是否可以提高老年人和家庭成员的生活质量。21 名住在老年社区的老年人及其一名家庭成员（从远处与老年人一起参加 VR）进行了基线电话通话，随后进行了三次每周 VR 会议。与基线相比，VR 可改善老年人的情绪和压力、与家庭成员的关系以及整体生活质量。与基线相比，使用 VR 后，家庭成员的负面情绪、抑郁症状和照顾者负担也减少，心理健康状况也有所改善。但是，使用 VR 并没有改变他们与老年人的关系。此外，与老年人和家庭成员经历的 VR 会议更具社交性的老年人报告说，他们的心理和人际关系更健康，而老年人的整体生活质量也有更大的改善。最后，初步结果表明，患有痴呆症的老年人及其家庭成员可能比患有 MCI 的老年人及其家庭成员从使用 VR 中受益更多。
