Testing the feasibility of Rendever with older adults with cognitive impairments and their adult children.

Alzheimer s disease affects approximatelymillion AmericansNIAand bythis number is expected to more than double tomillionUntil cures for the dementias are discoverednew technologies are imperative that can help reduce the emotional burden of AD ADRD for older adults and their care giversGoal C of NIA s strategic planIn this STTRSmall Business Technology TransferPhase I studywe test the feasibility and technological merit of a new virtual realityVRplatformRendeverwith residents with mild cognitive impairmentsMCIand mild to moderate Alzheimer s diseaseADand Alzheimer s disease related dementiasADRDand their adult children who live at a distanceThe aims are to evaluatethe acceptabilityengagementand usability challenges of Rendever with this populationandlevel of cognitive impairmentMCImild to moderate AD ADRDfor which Rendever is best suitedRendever enables older adults in residential care communities to maintain important family relationshipsengage fully with lifeand reconnect with their pastNo VR technologyto our knowledgehas been tested with older adults as a way to enhance their family relationshipsprimarily because VR platforms typically lack sophisticated networking abilitiesRendever is highly innovative in that it is the only product on the market that incorporates live streaming and networking technology through one VR platform that allows everyone on the network to experience the same content at the same timeregardless of locationPreliminary testing of Rendever among residents without cognitive impairments shows that it increases positive emotionsenergysocial well beingand physical mental healthHoweverthe feasibility of Rendever with residents with dementiaas well as its remote capabilities with family membershave never been testedThusthis pilot study tests the feasibility of two components of Rendever virtual travel into the paste gtraveling to one s childhood home and familiar locationsand virtual family picture worlds across three time points withresidents with MCI andresidents with mild to moderate AD ADRD and their adult children who live at a distancePhase I will be successful when we effectively adapt the technology to the participants through continuous feedback provided by interviewsself report measurese guser satisfactionengagementaffectenjoymentand human and computerized coding of affect and engagement throughout the pilot testingThe end product is a networkedportable VR platform of travel adventures and virtual family photos that residents and their adult children who live at a distance can experience together and that can then be tested in a Phase IImulti site clinical trialRendever has the potential to help residents with dementia reclaim their personal vitality and remain connected with their familyreduce the guiltsadnessand anxiety of family membersand revolutionize existing thoughts on aging This Phase I STTR tests the feasibility and technological merit of a new virtual reality program called Rendever with older adults with cognitive impairmentsmild cognitive impairments and mild to moderate dementiain residential care communities and their adult children who live at a distanceRendever can help residents maintain important family relationshipsengage fully with lifeand reconnect with their past through virtual picture worlds and virtual travelThese goals are accomplished with its unique networking and livestreaming capabilities in a single platform