Virtual Reality and Occupational Performance, Satisfaction, and Quality of Life of Older Adults

University of the Sciences in Philadelphia60 enrolled

Overview

Older adult participants will complete eight immersive virtual reality (VR) sessions with the researcher, within five weeks (no more than two sessions per week may be scheduled). The screening process and assessment measures are not included in the five weeks of virtual reality. Sessions will consist of 30 minutes of use of the virtual reality goggles. During the virtual reality sessions, participants will select from a list of Oculus Go apps related to their self-identified occupational performance issues. Participants are expected to complete the session while seated with the VR set secured on their head.

Virtual reality (VR) may promote engagement in meaningful daily activities that is tailored to the individual's skill level, need, and significance to their individual context. There is limited research on measurable changes in perceived meaningful daily activities after utilizing immersive VR, specifically with a head mounted display. Only in recent years have head-mounted displays become less expensive and more commercially available for research and patron purchase. At the low cost of $250, the device is within the reach of many older adult community centers for leisure and recreational use. The researchers will measure changes in occupational performance, occupational satisfaction, and quality of life for the older adult members of a community center, after eight immersive VR sessions. Sessions will consist of 30 minutes of use of the virtual reality goggles. During the virtual reality sessions, participants will select from a list of Oculus Go apps related to their self-identified occupational performance issues. Participants are expected to complete the session while seated with the VR set secured on their head.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

Conditions

Aging

Interventions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 55 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Older adults aged 55+ that attend Journey's Way 2. Members need to attend least twice a week Exclusion Criteria: 1. Score of 17 or less on the MoCA 2. A self-report a history of any of the following: Seizures, epilepsy, dizziness, vertigo, or motion sickness, any current contagious skin and eye conditions, experience sensitivity to light, have or use hearing aids, and a pacemaker and/or a defibrillator.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

The Canadian Occupational Therapy Performance Measure (COPM)

The COPM is a standardized outcome measure that identifies an individual's perceived occupational performance and occupational satisfaction and detects change in these areas over time. Through a semi-structured interview, individuals will identify their difficulties with self-care, leisure, and productivity (Law et al., 2005). The client is asked to rate the importance of each of the occupations to his/her life using a 10-point rating scale (1 to 10). Then, the client will rate the performance and satisfaction of the occupations on a 10-point rating scale (1 to 10). Then, the average performance satisfaction is calculated (1 to 10) and the average satisfaction is calculated (1 to 10). Higher scores indicate better outcomes.

Time frame: 10 minutes

Secondary Outcomes

World Health Organization Quality of Life BREF (WHOQOL-BREF)

The WHOQOL-BREF is an assessment used to measure an individual's perceived quality of life. It has 26 items across the following four domains: physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment. Items are scored on a scale of 1 to 5 (a higher score is a more favorable outcome). Raw scores are calculated of each domain, and then scores may be transformed to scores ranging from 4 to 20 within each domain.