Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2023 Aug 26;24(1):558.
doi: 10.1186/s13063-023-07592-7.

The effects of therapeutic virtual reality experience to promote mental well-being in older people living with physical disabilities in long-term care facilities

Rick Yiu Cho Kwan  1 , Fowie Ng  2 , Linda Chiu Wa Lam  3 , Rebecca Choy Yung  4 , Olive Shuk Kan Sin  5 , Sally Chan  6
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The effects of therapeutic virtual reality experience to promote mental well-being in older people living with physical disabilities in long-term care facilities

Rick Yiu Cho Kwan et al. Trials. .

Abstract

Background: Mental well-being is poor in long-term care facilities (LTCF) residents. Physical disabilities, impaired social engagement, and environmental stress are also common in LTCF which exacerbate the decline of the mental well-being of older people living in LTCF. Protective elements, including nature-based, reminiscence, outdoor, and group activities, are known to be effective to promote the mental well-being of older people living in LTCF. However, limited by their physical disabilities and poor social support, older people living in LTCF are not likely to benefit from these effective measures. Virtual reality has been proven to be feasible to be environmentally unrestricted to providing LTCF residents with all protective elements promoting mental well-being. However, its effects on the mental well-being of LTCF residents living with physical disabilities are unclear.

Methods: This study employs a single-blinded, two-parallel-group (intervention-to-control group ratio = 1:1), non-inferiority, randomized controlled trial. Eligible participants are aged 60 years or above, LTCF residents, and living with physical disabilities. The study will be conducted in LTCF. In the intervention group, participants will receive a 6-week VR experience program. In the control group, participants will receive the usual care provided by the LTCF. The primary outcome is mental well-being, as measured by World Health Organization Five Well-being Index at the time point of baseline (i.e., week 0) and after completion of the intervention (i.e., week 7). This study aims to recruit a total of 216 participants. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) will be used to examine the effects of the intervention.

Trial registration: The trial has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT05818579 ), Registered on April 5, 2023. The latest version of the protocol was published online on 19 April 2023. All items come from the World Health Organization Trial Registration Data Set. This study has been approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Tung Wah College, Hong Kong (reference number: REC2023158). The findings will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals, presented at international and local conferences with related themes, and shared in local media.

Keywords: Long-term care facilities; Mental well-being; Older people; Physical disabilities; Virtual reality.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
CONSORT flow diagram: T0: Baseline for pre-treatment assessment (i.e., week 0), T1: The week immediately after the intervention (i.e., week 7)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Verbrugge LM, Jette AM. The disablement process. Soc Sci Med. 1994;38(1):1–14. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(94)90294-1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fashho E, Ahmed T, Garden G, et al. Investigating the prevalence of malnutrition, frailty and physical disability and the association between them amongst older care home residents. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN. 2020;40:231–236. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2020.09.014. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rosso AL, Taylor JA, Tabb LP, Michael YL. Mobility, disability, and social engagement in older adults. J Aging Health. 2013;25(4):617–637. doi: 10.1177/0898264313482489. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Elias SMS. Prevalence of loneliness, anxiety, and depression among older people living in long-term care: a review. Int J Care Sch. 2018;1(1):39–43. doi: 10.31436/ijcs.v1i1.44. - DOI
    1. Hsieh N, Waite L. Disability, psychological well-being, and social interaction in later life in China. Res Aging. 2019;41(4):362–389. doi: 10.1177/0164027518824049. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data