Perceptions of Virtual Reality Technologies Within Elderly Care

Sammanfattning: The Swedish healthcare system is strained today, along with a rise in the number of elderly people in the country. Aside from the expected physical ailments facing this group, mental health issues such as depression are also common amongst older adults. It is the researchers’ assumption that these three societal challenges; the healthcare system being strained, the growing elderly population and the health issues present amongst this group, are connected. Virtual Reality (VR) technologies show promising benefits according to the scientific literature and may prove to be a useful tool in combating the listed challenges. However, the researched benefits of this technology can’t be utilized properly if the target group perceives it as negative or cumbersome, which is why it is imperative to explore this group’s attitude towards the usage of VR as a preventative part of their treatment. This paper aims to explore the perceptions of Virtual Reality technologies in treatment of elderly and to focus on their and the caretakers’ attitudes of its usage, in addition to eventual annoyances or limitations with their current applications by answering the research question: how is the usage of VR technologies in care related functions perceived by elderly people and their caretakers? A qualitative study with an inductive approach was performed by using a small-scale survey strategy, with a focus on the perceptions and experiences of people as well as their feelings and emotions, while aiming to describe and understand the lived experiences of the target demographic and their caretakers. Face-to-face interviews with a semi-structured format were employed at two recreational facilities for elders in Sweden, with participants consisting of three elders between the ages of 83 and 91 along with three caretakers, all of whom were female and had used some form of VR technology in the past. The collected interview data was then analyzed by way of thematic analysis, which generated a total of 2 themes, 8 categories and 21 codes. The results show that both elders and their caretakers generally have a positive attitude towards the use of VR, with none of the interviewees seeing any drawbacks towards its usage. All interviewees wished to see VR become a regular part of the offerings at the recreational facilities, with the frequency of use being deemed reasonable at 2 weeks by all elders who took part in the study. The preferred types of VR experiences consisted of either visiting familiar places or emulating activities that the elders were no longer capable of performing. It was concluded that nostalgia played a big part in what experiences the elders enjoyed, and generated positive effects including feelings of relaxation, escaping reality and increased socialization amongst the elders.