2023-09-21 12:30:03
Accommodation Establishments for Dependent Elderly People (EHPAD) are places dedicated to the well-being and care of elderly people losing their autonomy. In these establishments, providing an optimal quality of life for residents is a priority, and new technologies, such as Virtual Reality (VR), are increasingly used to achieve this objective.
As a reminder, virtual reality can be defined as follows: “Virtual reality (in English, virtual reality or VR) is a technology that allows a person to be immersed in a digitally created artificial world. »[1]
VR: a tool for stimulating residents
VR provides interactive and stimulating experiences that can help maintain and improve residents’ cognitive functions. Specific apps can be designed to exercise memory, problem solving and coordination, helping to delay age-related cognitive decline. Thanks to controllers, it is possible to work on spatial orientation and/or motor skills without risking injury while practicing physical activities.
VR can also be used for therapeutic purposes in nursing homes. For example, it can be used to reduce residents’ stress and anxiety through calming environments, or for physical rehabilitation by offering virtual mobilization exercises.
Travel through virtual reality
Reduced mobility can prevent many residents from traveling as they would like. VR offers them the opportunity to virtually visit destinations around the world, relive memories of past travels, or even discover historical or cultural places, which can significantly enrich their lives. This item[2] presents a nursing home which offers its residents the opportunity to travel every Friday afternoon using VR to distant countries.
Reduce social isolation
One of the main challenges in nursing homes is the social isolation that residents may feel. VR allows residents to immerse themselves in shared virtual environments, participate in virtual group activities, and even communicate with loved ones remotely. This helps create a feeling of connection and reduces loneliness. As we mentioned, the VR travel workshops offered by the EHPAD can be carried out in groups of residents, making it a friendly activity that allows connections to be created between residents.
Sources :
Why use virtual reality in nursing homes? (healthymind.fr)
[1] Definition | Virtual reality – VR – Virtual reality (futura-sciences.com)
[2] In this nursing home, residents travel thanks to virtual reality, and it calms them (nouvelobs.com)
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