Guidelines for Developing the VR Program in Residential Aged Care: A Preliminary Study from Staff Members’ Perspective

Abstract

Despite there being evident benefits of using virtual reality (VR) in aged care, it is not yet widely used in residential aged care homes. One factor that may contribute to this is the willingness of staff to use VR as part of the social program offered in aged care homes. Therefore, we need to understand staff perceptions of VR programs, especially suggestions for improvement. In an analysis of responses from 10 staff working in residential aged care (also known as nursing homes), we found that staff have concerns about the suitability of VR for older people with cognitive impairments and mobility restrictions. Many older adults living in aged care have these conditions. Our findings suggest that providing staff with training on how to facilitate various kinds of valuable VR experiences and providing a clear picture of its benefits and drawbacks will help to make it suitable for people living in aged care. Furthermore, there should be greater investment in technological infrastructure and co-design of VR in aged care.