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VRwonder : the development & implementation of a Virtual Reality application for people with dementia

Berkhoff, M.H. (2020) VRwonder : the development & implementation of a Virtual Reality application for people with dementia.

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Abstract:A growing amount of older adults is affected by some form of dementia. Dementia not only heavily affects the cognition of someone with the disease, but also behaviour, personality and mental state. No cure is available and therefore the focus lays upon providing valuable care and improving well-being. One promising technique that could be used for this purpose is Virtual Reality. In this Master Thesis the use of Virtual Reality for people with dementia (PWD) was researched at a Dutch care home. Both the responses of PWD to VR and the factors influencing successful use of VR for PWD in a care home were of interest. The developed virtual environments were received positively by most PWD, and offered them relaxation and sometimes even recalled memories. The physiological measures heart rate and heart rate variability were found to support observational data. A VR application, VRwonder, was developed based on a first user experience test and input from professionals. A second user experience & usability test and final implementation test were performed to evaluate the use of VRwonder. VRwonder was received enthusiastically by staff members of the care home, but more stimulation and training is needed for a successful implementation. This Master Thesis illustrated the suitability of using VR for PWD.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:EEMCS: Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science
Subject:01 general works, 54 computer science, 77 psychology, 81 education, teaching
Programme:Interaction Technology MSc (60030)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/80738
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