Enhancing Cognitive and Emotional Engagement in Dementia Care
At A Glance
VR supports cognitive stimulation, emotional engagement, and identity expression in people living with dementia. Evidence spans scoping reviews, feasibility studies, and clinical interventions across care settings.
VR is most consistently used here as a tool for emotional activation, attention stimulation, and reminiscence-based engagement.
Key Research Findings
VR significantly enhances emotional engagement in dementia populations
Emotional outcomes were the most commonly reported effect, with 17 of 19 studies showing improvements in mood, engagement, or emotional responsiveness (Appel et al., 2021).
VR stimulates attention and short-term cognitive responsiveness
Participants showed increased alertness and engagement even among moderate to severe cognitive impairment groups during VR exposure (Appel et al., 2020).
VR supports reminiscence and identity-based engagement
Immersive environments frequently triggered autobiographical memory recall and personhood expression in dementia populations (Appel et al., 2021).
Older adults show high willingness to re-engage with VR
76% of participants expressed willingness to repeat VR experiences after initial exposure (Appel et al., 2020).
Why This Matters
This suggests caregiVR can function as a meaningful engagement intervention for residents who are withdrawn, apathetic, or difficult to engage using traditional activities. It supports its use in structured recreation programming and as a flexible tool for varying levels of cognitive decline.
Our Publications
Appel, L., Bogler, O., Appel, E., et al. (2020). Older adults with cognitive and/or physical impairments can benefit from immersive virtual reality experiences: A feasibility study. Frontiers in Medicine, 6, 329. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2019.00329
Appel, L., Kisonas, E., Appel, E., et al. (2021). Administering virtual reality therapy to manage behavioural and psychological symptoms in patients with dementia admitted to an acute care hospital. JMIR Formative Research, 5(2), e22406. https://doi.org/10.2196/22406
Appel, L., Ali, S., Narag, T., et al. (2021). Virtual reality to promote wellbeing in persons with dementia: A scoping review. Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering, 8. https://doi.org/10.1177/20556683211053952