Britain trials virtual reality time travel to combat dementia

To better serve patients struggling with dementia, a hospital in Berlin established a department of geriatrics and began screening "patients for cognitive impairments upon admission, providing them with trained volunteers for personal support and non-pharmacological interventions to prevent delirium." This course of action has helped the hospital to diagnose cases earlier and offer dementia-specific care for patients, which consequently has reduced the prescribing of drugs for these patients.

Jelly drops, board games, and a box that projects interactive images and is sensitive to movement, are all examples if products being created to help people with dementia. “She enjoys that rather than being at home and watching T.V.” Some of them, like the “Tovertafel” or “Magic Table” have shown to decrease apathy levels in people that have dementia.

A Tovertafel, or “Magic Table” in Dutch, uses a projector and sensors to create interactive games for people with dementia. From catching fish and popping bubbles to assembling puzzles, the games reduce apathy, improve emotional wellbeing, and encourage physical movement.

The Netherlands is trying an alternative strategy to hospitalization for dementia patients. Instead of home care and hospitalization, patients live in group care facilities, which use stress-reduction techniques and calming cues to reduce the negative symptoms of dementia. There’s no cure for dementia, but their methods are effective in reducing the medication and restraints necessary for patients.

Dementia units and long-term care homes for the elderly are often desolate and lonely places, with harried workers attempting to meet the needs of their patients while also meeting government-set metrics of success. For families and individuals, it can be difficult to imagine a better way. However, a pilot program in Canada called the Butterfly room is showing that dedicated efforts to making long-term care homes a vibrant and loving place for someone's last days has positive impacts for everyone - and is worth a government investment do right across the country.

Mental health therapists in Colorado and the UK independently developed Minecraft-based therapy sessions during the pandemic when traditional play therapy moved online. Therapists create secure virtual worlds where children and teens can engage in therapeutic activities through gameplay. Those who participate are more animated and engaged, and typically never miss a Minecraft session, unlike traditional therapy.

At intergenerational care facilities, early learning programs co-locate with senior homes, giving students and care residents plenty of opportunities to interact. Research shows this type of intergenerational program can have physical and cognitive benefits for both the adults and the children involved in them.

Bank of America is training its employees with virtual reality and artificial intelligence. The immersive program runs them through simulations of scenarios they might encounter on the job such as an upset customer or a bank robbery. The new method helps employees learn faster and makes them more comfortable performing tasks.

Project Teach the Child was launched to empower disadvantaged students and address learning gaps exacerbated by the pandemic. By creating learning spaces where students can learn through play and interactive technology, Project Teach the Child made learning more enjoyable, relatable and effective for students.

Telehealth visits are helping residents in rural nursing homes to access mental health care. In areas where mental health care is scarce, companies like Encounter Telehealth are connecting patients with providers, serving more than 200 nursing homes and assisted living centers. Mental health professionals working with Encounter Telehealth complete up to 2,000 virtual visits a month.