Virtual reality, a new therapy for seniors
Virtual reality stimulates the residents' cognitive functions - © Communication Department / Stéphane Danna
Residents of the Hector Otto Foundation have been using virtual reality for therapeutic purposes, and more, since September.
Virtual reality is expanding, and now the technological tool is being used to assist the elderly. Introduced six months ago, virtual reality’s beneficial effects on the residents of the Hector Otto Foundation are already being seen, as Monaco Info reports.
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Care through play
From the residents’ point of view, virtual reality is first and foremost a leisure activity. A form of escapism, it allows the elderly residents to ‘get out’ for a while. Speaking to Monaco Info, Colette Muller says, “I’ve been in love with Egypt since I was a teenager (…) you can’t fail to be impressed,” after a virtual tour of an Egyptian archeological site.
The cognitive stimulation provided by the activities helps residents to look after themselves, without them noticing. Samantha Barbaud, clinical psychologist at the Foundation, explains the positive effects. “Among the therapeutic objectives we have, we can work on anxiety. We will be able to reduce apathy, a behaviour of withdrawal into oneself, give the person the opportunity to explore a pleasurable environment, to foster positive emotions, and enable them to break out of their apathy. We will also be able to encourage interactions in group workshops, with residents discussing a shared experience. And we will be able to stimulate their autobiographical memory, as well as their semantic memory, using knowledge they have acquired over their lifetimes.”
It is also a way of helping the residents during physiotherapy sessions. The idea of exercise disappears and is replaced by a fun activity using virtual reality. Thanks to the different sensors, the patient’s movements are used in the game. This means they have fun while working on motor skills, for example during rehabilitation. Plus, it has proved to be an effective way to forget about pain.
There is a lot of controversy about the impact of virtual reality, but the residents of the Hector Otto Foundation seem delighted with the technology.