New mHealth Study Uses VR to Address Senior Isolation

By Eric Wicklund

August 20, 2021 - Senior living centers in Massachusetts and California will be taking part in an mHealth study to determine how a virtual reality platform might help seniors dealing with the negative impacts of social isolation.

The University of California at Santa Barbara is spearheading the study, funded by a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging. The grant is the second issued to Boston-based Rendever, a digital health company developing VR products to aid in reducing depression and loneliness.

Roughly 400 seniors in a dozen communities around Boston and central California will be taking part in the program, which aims to test VR platform on seniors dealing with isolation. This project builds upon an earlier, federally funded phase that showed improvements in family relationships and emotional stability following a series of VR sessions.

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“With the Phase II Grant from the NIA, we’re expanding on the data previously collected,” Tamara Afifi, chair of the Department of Communication at the University of California Santa Barbara and one of the principal investigators on the project, said in a press release. “The team will be collecting data from more senior living communities in an experimental, longitudinal design to assess the long-term impact on families. This randomized clinical trial will also enable us to provide a rigorous scientific test of virtual reality’s impact over standard modes of communicating (for example, video chat).”

The program will run through 2022 and will likely incorporate telehealth to accommodate restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The project is one of many using connected health platforms and tools to improve care and access to care for seniors, many of whom want to stay home longer or live in communities where services are readily available. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, seniors were looking for ways to stay closer to distant family and friends and to communicate more easily with loved ones and care providers.

Aside from addressing isolation and mental health concerns, healthcare providers see these platforms as a means of connecting with seniors and collaborating on care management whenever the need arises, rather than just during in-person visits.

Apps & Software News

New mHealth Study Uses VR to Address Senior Isolation

Senior communities in California and Massachusetts will be taking part in a federally funded mHealth study that will use virtual reality platforms to help seniors cope with isolation and loneliness.

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