Quality of life and occupational justice in care homes: a VR training approach

Background

Quality of life in long-term care is often reduced by limited meaningful activity participation, worsened by occupational injustice, while virtual reality (VR) offers a promising way to enhance engagement.

Aims

This study examined a VR intervention’s impact on quality of life and experiences of older adults in care facilities in Nicosia, Cyprus. It also evaluated its effectiveness in reducing occupational injustice and supporting meaningful participation.

Material & Methods

A convergent mixed-methods design was employed with 12 purposively sampled participants (aged ≥65, MMSE ≥18). Quantitative data were collected using the WHOQOL-BREF, in a pre-post design. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews based on the (EMAS), conducted pre- and post- intervention. Following the initial data collection, VR training sessions were delivered to 18 healthcare professionals and caregivers. The sessions involved the use of the Meta Quest 3 and included occupational scenarios developed by Embodied Labs. Qualitative data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, while quantitative data were analyzed used Wilcoxon signed-rank tests.

Results

Quantitative finding demonstrated statistically significant improvements in WHOQOL-BREF scores across all domains (Median Dif (MD)=, p < 0.05), with largest gains in psychological (MD=, p = 0.004) and environmental domains (MD=, p = 0.002). The occupational injustice index decreased from median 3.0 to 1.0 (p = 0.006). Four qualitative themes were found: (1) daily schedule planning, (2) social and recreational participation, (3) maintenance and loss of activities, and (4) power relations with staff.

Conclusions

VR-based interventions can promise in enhancing quality of life in care settings by promoting meaningful participation and reducing occupational injustice. Findings highlight the need for more research with larger samples to explore VR’s potential in addressing occupational injustice among older adults.

Key messages

• A brief VR empathy training for care staff can meaningfully improve the quality of life of older adults living in residential care.

• VR-based education for caregivers can be a simple yet effective way to enhance the quality of life of older adults in residential care.