Challenges of Deploying VR in Aged Care: A Two-Phase Exploration Study

Zhao, Wei; Baker, Steven; Waycott, Jenny

doi:10.1145/3441000.3441018

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Despite mixed views about its perceived value, VR was the most common technology used by our respondents. This finding aligns with the growing research interest in the use of VR in aged care [ 13 , 25 , 30 - 33 ]. Studies have demonstrated that VR can be valuable as a calming tool for people with dementia [ 21 ], as a tool to support reminiscence in aged care [ 13 ], and as a way for people with dementia to enjoy experiences such as attending a concert [ 34 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…Studies have demonstrated that VR can be valuable as a calming tool for people with dementia [ 21 ], as a tool to support reminiscence in aged care [ 13 ], and as a way for people with dementia to enjoy experiences such as attending a concert [ 34 ]. Conversely, recent studies have identified usability issues for residents [ 13 , 30 ] and highlighted challenges for staff in implementing VR in aged care [ 31 ]. This tension between benefits and challenges was evident in our interviews.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Technology-Mediated Enrichment in Aged Care: Survey and Interview Study

Waycott¹,

Zhao²,

Kelly³

et al. 2022

JMIR Aging

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Background Digital technologies such as virtual reality (VR), humanoid robots, and digital companion pets have the potential to provide social and emotional enrichment for people living in aged care. However, there is currently limited knowledge about how technologies are being used to provide enrichment, what benefits they provide, and what challenges arise when deploying these technologies in aged care settings. Objective This study aims to investigate how digital technologies are being used for social and emotional enrichment in the Australian aged care industry and identify the benefits and challenges of using technology for enrichment in aged care. Methods A web-based survey (N=20) was distributed among people working in the Australian aged care sector. The survey collected information about the types of technologies being deployed and their perceived value. The survey was followed by semistructured interviews (N=12) with aged care workers and technology developers to investigate their experiences of deploying technologies with older adults living in aged care. Survey data were analyzed using summary descriptive statistics and categorizing open-ended text responses. Interview data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results The survey revealed that a range of commercial technologies, such as VR, tablet devices, and mobile phones, are being used in aged care to support social activities and provide entertainment. Respondents had differing views about the value of emerging technologies, such as VR, social robots, and robot pets, but were more united in their views about the value of videoconferencing. Interviews revealed 4 types of technology-mediated enrichment experiences: enhancing social engagement, virtually leaving the care home, reconnecting with personal interests, and providing entertainment and distraction. Our analysis identified 5 barriers: resource constraints, the need to select appropriate devices and apps, client challenges, limited staff and organizational support, and family resistance. Conclusions This study demonstrates that technologies can be used in aged care to create personally meaningful enrichment experiences for aged care clients. To maximize the effectiveness of technology-mediated enrichment, we argue that a person-centered care approach is crucial. Although enrichment experiences can be created using available technologies, they must be carefully selected and co-deployed with aged care clients. However, significant changes may be required within organizations to allow caregivers to facilitate individual technology-based activities for enrichment.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technology-Mediated Enrichment in Aged Care: Survey and Interview Study

Waycott¹,

Zhao²,

Kelly³

et al. 2022

JMIR Aging

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“…One example is that a wheelchair should be positioned at the center of the tracking space to minimize user overreaching [51]. In another case, older adults needed help moving the wheelchair to access particular virtual objects [98]. Since it is apparent that facilitator competency is critical, [11] advised that training be offered to both aged care personnel and family members.…”

Section: Usability Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design Considerations for Immersive Virtual Reality Applications for Older Adults: A Scoping Review

Ijaz

Tran

Kocaballı

et al. 2022

MTI

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Immersive virtual reality (iVR) has gained considerable attention recently with increasing affordability and accessibility of the hardware. iVR applications for older adults present tremendous potential for diverse interventions and innovations. The iVR literature, however, provides a limited understanding of guiding design considerations and evaluations pertaining to user experience (UX). To address this gap, we present a state-of-the-art scoping review of literature on iVR applications developed for older adults over 65 years. We performed a search in ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, Scopus, and PubMed (1 January 2010–15 December 2019) and found 36 out of 3874 papers met the inclusion criteria. We identified 10 distinct sets of design considerations that guided target users and physical configuration, hardware use, and software design. Most studies carried episodic UX where only 2 captured anticipated UX and 7 measured longitudinal experiences. We discuss the interplay between our findings and future directions to design effective, safe, and engaging iVR applications for older adults.

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“…One potential barrier to adoption is that while it can be relatively easy to seed VR technology into residential aged care, organisational barriers such as constrained resources (specifically the skills, interest and availability of staff), limited access to information technology expertise and support, limited awareness of, or expertise in, VR systems and decision-making hierarchies that prioritise clinical care over resourcing leisure activities, can prevent its long-term success. 12,13 The aim of this study, therefore, was to understand the organisational facilitators and barriers that enable and restrict the successful ongoing implementation of VR-based leisure activities in aged care. Specifically, the project team introduced VR technology into three aged care homes and supported staff to run VRbased leisure activities over a period of 2 months.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transforming aged care with virtual reality: How organisational culture impacts technology adoption and sustained uptake

Miller,

Wilding,

Baker

et al. 2023

Australas J Ageing

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ObjectivesVirtual reality (VR) is not a common leisure activity in aged care, despite pilot studies demonstrating its value as a tool to combat inactivity and loneliness. This study investigated the organisational enablers and barriers to sustained uptake of VR among aged care staff and organisations, who may lack familiarity or confidence with the technology.MethodsCreative methods were adopted to co‐design and develop a VR implementation toolkit tailored specifically for aged care staff. Three aged care homes in South‐East Queensland participated, with 15 residents and seven staff engaging in up to four VR sessions facilitated by the research team. Participant observation of the VR sessions was complemented by interviews with aged care staff and residents.ResultsGuided by Normalisation Process Theory, a reflexive thematic analysis identified four key themes: (1) Positively Appreciating the VR Experience, (2) Staff VR Champions and the Importance of Personal Use and Experimentation with VR, (3) Management Support and (4) Technical Challenges.ConclusionsOur results indicate benefits and challenges of VR use in aged care, offering valuable insights into the factors that can lead to the long‐term success of VR‐based leisure activities for aged care. Providing time and resources for a VR champion to experiment and learn about the technology is critical. The development of an online implementation toolkit, based on our learning from this project, also provides aged care stakeholders with the evidence‐based resources needed to ensure the successful implementation of VR‐based leisure programs.

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Challenges of Deploying VR in Aged Care: A Two-Phase Exploration Study

Cited by 9 publications

References 37 publications

Technology-Mediated Enrichment in Aged Care: Survey and Interview Study

Technology-Mediated Enrichment in Aged Care: Survey and Interview Study

Design Considerations for Immersive Virtual Reality Applications for Older Adults: A Scoping Review

Transforming aged care with virtual reality: How organisational culture impacts technology adoption and sustained uptake

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