An Immersive Motor Protocol for Frailty Rehabilitation

Abstract

Frailty is a pre-clinical condition that worsens physical health and quality of life. One of the most frequent symptoms of frailty is an increased risk of falling. In order to reduce this risk, we propose an innovative virtual reality motor rehabilitation program based on an immersive tool. All exercises will take place in the CAVE, a four-screen room with a stationary bike. The protocol will include two types of exercises for the improvement of balance: “Positive Bike” and “Avoid the Rocks.” We will choose evaluation scales related to the functional aspects and subjective perception of balance. Our aim is to prove that our innovative motor rehabilitation protocol is as effective as or more effective than classical rehabilitation.

Pulmonary rehabilitation in a postcoronavirus disease 2019 world: feasibility, challenges, and solutions

“…Virtual reality allows users to experience an immersive, interactive, and multisensory computer-simulated 3D environment, which can reduce negative sensations [44] and make participants feel more engaged and motivated [45]. Virtual reality is, therefore, particularly attractive for rehabilitation programs, and has been successfully used for cognitive rehabilitation of poststroke patients [46], motor rehabilitation of frail elderly patients [47], gait training for individuals with Parkinson's disease [48], as well as physical and cognitive training for older adults with mild cognitive impairment [49]. In all these settings, virtual reality-incorporated rehabilitation achieved comparable or better results compared with traditional methods of rehabilitation delivery.…”

Brain M-App’s Structure and Usability: A New Application for Cognitive Rehabilitation at Home

“…This technology has been used in several therapeutic procedures. Among them, Pedroli et al (2019a) proposed a VR-based motor protocol for frailty rehabilitation, implying a dual-task intervention (cognitive and motor).…”

“…Based on these premises, in the following section, we present Brain m-App, a tablet-based application designed for homebased cognitive rehabilitation of frail subjects, addressing spatial memory, attention, and executive functions. The app was created using the authors' immersive High-end VR cognitive protocol described in a previous study (Pedroli et al, 2019a). The goal of this home-based cognitive app is to ensure that the rehabilitation process runs smoothly between the hospital and the patient's home.…”

Effect of sensorimotor rehabilitation based on an immersive virtual reality model on mental health

“…In IVR anxiety models, exposure models to risky situations or fear of strangers have been mainly used, and when repeated showed habituation to them, by reducing anxiety symptoms, in addition to improving the individual's self-perception. [15][16][17] In the case of environmental exposure models, they have been used to generate a relaxation effect through stress reduction, as is the exploration of natural environments and cities in tourist mode, demonstrating that they promote well-being and global mental health. 18,19 Self-identification models have been used in the specific case of depression in IVR, through a virtual incarnation to increase feelings of self-compassion ("self-compassion") in patients with depression.…”