Acceptability of virtual reality to screen for dementia in older adults.

BACKGROUND: Early detection of dementia and cognitive decline is crucial for effective interventions and overall wellbeing. Although virtual reality (VR) tools offer potential advantages to traditional dementia screening tools, there is a lack of knowledge regarding older adults' acceptance of VR tools, as well as the predictors and features influencing their adoption. This study aims to (i) explore older adults' perceptions of the acceptability and usefulness of VR diagnostic tools for dementia, and (ii) identify demographic predictors of adoption and features of VR applications that contribute to future adoption among older adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving community-dwelling older adults who completed online questionnaires covering demographics, medical history, technology acceptance, previous usage, and perceived usefulness and barriers to VR adoption. Multiple linear regression was employed to assess relationships between sociodemographic factors, prior technology use, perceived ease, usefulness, and intention to adopt VR-based diagnostic tools. RESULTS: Older adults (N = 77, Mage = 73.74, SD = 6.4) were predominantly female and born in English-speaking countries. Perceived usefulness of VR applications and educational attainment emerged as significant predictors of the likelihood to use VR applications for dementia screening. Generally, older adults showed acceptance of VR applications for healthcare and dementia screening. Fully immersive applications were preferred, and older adults were mostly willing to share electronic information from screening with their healthcare providers. CONCLUSIONS: The field of research on VR applications in healthcare is expanding. Understanding the demographic characteristics of populations that stand to benefit from healthcare innovations is critical for promoting adoption of digital health technologies and mitigating its barriers to access.

Exploring the usability of the virtual reality module LEAF CAFÉ: a qualitative think-aloud study.

BACKGROUND: The global healthcare system faces increasing strain from our ageing population, primarily due to the growing prevalence of age-related health conditions such as dementia. While modern healthcare technology offers potential solutions, it frequently lacks user-friendliness for older adults. Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged as a promising tool for diagnosing cognitive impairment, offering innovative solutions where traditional methods may fall short. This study explores older adults' perspectives on the usability of a newly designed VR module for cognitive assessment. METHODS: During a 100-min session, participants were asked to engage and complete recall and recognition tasks within the VR module (think-aloud approach) and provide feedback upon completion (semi-structured interviews). Audio materials were transcribed for analysis and recordings of the users' interactions with the module were annotated to provide additional context. These combined textual data were analysed using content coding and thematic analysis to identify themes that reflect how participants used the module's features and what features are desirable to support that process better. RESULTS: Participants (N = 10; Mean age = 73.3, SD = 7.53, range = 65-83 years) perceived the VR module as user-friendly and endorsed its potential as a cognitive screener due to its engaging and immersive nature. Older adults highlighted three key aspects of the module: the usefulness of the platform's ability to offer a comprehensive and reliable evaluation of an individual's cognitive abilities; the need to present concise and relevant content to optimise engagement and use; and the importance of overcoming barriers to support implementation. Suggested game improvements centred on food recognition and adjusting difficulty levels. Barriers to implementation included technology challenges for older adults and concerns about the game's suitability for everyday scenarios. Participants stressed the need for reliable implementation strategies, proposing locations such as libraries and advocating for home-based screening. CONCLUSION: Continued improvements in accessibility suggest that VR tools could help with diagnosing cognitive impairment in older adults. Using a simulated environment to assess cognitive status might fill the gap between current diagnostic methods, aiding treatment planning and early intervention. However, these findings should be approached cautiously, as more research is needed to fully grasp the potential impact of VR tools in this context.

Evaluation of an exercise program incorporating an international cycling competition: a multimodal intervention model for physical, psychological, and social wellbeing in residential aged care.

BACKGROUND: The transition into residential aged care is frequently associated with a reduction in physical activity, social engagement, and emotional wellbeing. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of a 26-day international cycling competition (Road Worlds Competition for Seniors), incorporating elements of exercise, audiovisual cycling footage, social engagement, and gamification, on the physical, psychological, and social well-being of aged care residents. We aimed to use findings to inform the development of a multi-modal intervention model to maximise wellbeing for older adults. METHODS: Residents (N = 32) participated in a mixed-methods single-group intervention pilot study that compared pre-and post-competition measures for the following wellbeing domains; physical, psychological, and social. In addition, interviews were conducted with residents (n = 27) and staff (n = 6) to explore their experiences. RESULTS: Measures identified significant improvements across multiple wellbeing domains, including functional fitness, depression, self-efficacy, and social network sizes. Findings from the interview data indicated that the multimodal components involved in the program delivery were valued by staff and residents who enjoyed the gamification, audiovisual cycling footage, social engagement, opportunities for reminiscence, and camaraderie between peers, staff, and volunteers. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight a constellation of benefits across physical, psychological, and social domains of wellbeing and inform a model for innovative multidimensional programs in residential aged care. The benefits for residents with varying physical and cognitive abilities support the use of creative strategies that maximise inclusion and engagement for residents.

Investigating Health and Well-Being Challenges Faced by an Aging Workforce in the Construction and Nursing Industries: Computational Linguistic Analysis of Twitter Data.

BACKGROUND: Construction and nursing are critical industries. Although both careers involve physically and mentally demanding work, the risks to workers during the COVID-19 pandemic are not well understood. Nurses (both younger and older) are more likely to experience the ill effects of burnout and stress than construction workers, likely due to accelerated work demands and increased pressure on nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we analyzed a large social media data set using advanced natural language processing techniques to explore indicators of the mental status of workers across both industries before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE: This social media analysis aims to fill a knowledge gap by comparing the tweets of younger and older construction workers and nurses to obtain insights into any potential risks to their mental health due to work health and safety issues. METHODS: We analyzed 1,505,638 tweets published on Twitter (subsequently rebranded as X) by younger and older (aged <45 vs >45 years) construction workers and nurses. The study period spanned 54 months, from January 2018 to June 2022, which equates to approximately 27 months before and 27 months after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. The tweets were analyzed using big data analytics and computational linguistic analyses. RESULTS: Text analyses revealed that nurses made greater use of hashtags and keywords (both monograms and bigrams) associated with burnout, health issues, and mental health compared to construction workers. The COVID-19 pandemic had a pronounced effect on nurses' tweets, and this was especially noticeable in younger nurses. Tweets about health and well-being contained more first-person singular pronouns and affect words, and health-related tweets contained more affect words. Sentiment analyses revealed that, overall, nurses had a higher proportion of positive sentiment in their tweets than construction workers. However, this changed markedly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since early 2020, sentiment switched, and negative sentiment dominated the tweets of nurses. No such crossover was observed in the tweets of construction workers. CONCLUSIONS: The social media analysis revealed that younger nurses had language use patterns consistent with someone experiencing the ill effects of burnout and stress. Older construction workers had more negative sentiments than younger workers, who were more focused on communicating about social and recreational activities rather than work matters. More broadly, these findings demonstrate the utility of large data sets enabled by social media to understand the well-being of target populations, especially during times of rapid societal change.

Technology for dementia care: what would good technology look like and do, from carers' perspectives?

BACKGROUND: The development of technology in dementia care has largely been without consultation with carers, and has primarily focused on safety, monitoring devices, and supporting activities of daily living. Further, while involving end-users in the design of technology has been recommended, this is yet to become common practice. METHOD: We conducted a mixed methods study with the aim of investigating carers' values and priorities for technology development, including prior experiences, barriers to use, and what they would like technology to do. Importantly, we asked carers for their design ideas and bespoke technology solutions for future development. RESULTS: Carers of people living with dementia (N = 127), including both unpaid (n = 102) and paid carers (n = 25) residing in Australia, completed an online survey. In addition, a subsample of carers (n = 23) participated in semi-structured interviews. Findings demonstrate that carers want technology to be person-centred, customisable, and to increase opportunities for meaningful social connection. Findings also demonstrate the ability of carers to generate creative design solutions for dementia care. CONCLUSIONS: These findings and implications will be discussed in relation to the importance of co-design with carers and engineers during the design phase of assistive technology. Also, the importance of technology to enhance, not replace, human-to-human social interactions is highlighted.