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Panola College Occupational Therapy participates in national research

Panola College’s Occupational Therapy Assistant program is participating in a research program to explore the potential for the use of virtual reality to help individuals living with dementia and other age-related conditions.

 

MyndVR is a tech, health and wellness company specializing in virtual reality solutions for people who are age 55 and over. The ongoing research studies the medical efficacy of virtual reality on seniors with and without age-related conditions.

 

Terrie King, OTA instructor, and academic fieldwork coordinator are working with MyndVR on this research project. She is a licensed occupational therapist and certified dementia-capable care instructor. King explained that the study is on the cutting edge with research into using virtual reality with older patients.

 

“The VR experience seems to awaken the mind and elders are able to recall memories forgotten. For example, one of our pilot study participants used to travel the world with her husband. After going to Paris, France, virtually, she chatted for hours about her travels. Typically, this elder would sit quietly throughout her day, saying very little,” King said.

 

In addition to Panola College’s OTA department, research teams from Indiana University’s Eskenazi Center for Brain Care, the University of Texas at Dallas, Florida Atlantic University’s Visual Mind Lab, the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing, and St. Barnabas Health System near Pittsburgh are participating in the research.

 

“We have seen firsthand the positive impact virtual reality has on seniors, and we are elated to provide our curated content, senior-friendly user interface and customized hardware to these innovative research partners,” said Chris Brickler, CEO and co-founder of MyndVR.

 

King said elderly patients with dementia sometimes experience a syndrome called “sundowners,” which creates an atmosphere of fear and aggression as night approaches. Using VR sessions earlier in the day, we have seen a decrease in symptoms and the elders seem to be more calm and less fearful.

 

A $5,000 Perkins Grant funded the purchase of eight kits, which included two headsets and one tablet. Panola College OTA students, following the protocol of the research program, are utilizing this technology to provide statistics about the pre and post test heart rates and other medical statistics on research participants.

 

Other Texas higher education institutions participating in this research are the Stephen F. Austin State University Neuroscience Program and the University of Texas at Tyler Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy program.

 

“We are thrilled to be a part of this research program,” King said. “Our goal is to teach our students effective cutting edge occupational therapy interventions for people living with dementia-related disorders. Through this research, we will be able to know if VR is an effective intervention tool for our future clients.”

 

King said she hopes to involve other campus departments in providing the virtual reality experience that is relative to the patients in regional long-term care facilities. In working with patients in clinical settings, King recognized the need for virtual reality films that are custom to the individual’s life experiences. Elders in the East Texas region have asked for films with children playing, farm animals, fishing, quilting groups, barn dances, church groups, and kitchen cooking events, to name a few.

 

“The goal of occupational therapy is to help people live a life that has meaning and purpose in spite of a diagnosis or condition. During our pilot study with elders, we have seen VR help improve mood and increase a person’s quality of life. When a person’s mood is better, usually you see more motivation. With more motivation comes more energy to once again engage in meaningful life activities. We know there is so much more to know about how VR can be used to support health and wellness. It is our hope that through the research we will have evidence to understand how to best use VR as a therapeutic tool for our clients,” she said.

IMAGE 1: An elder views the images using virtual reality goggles.

 

IMAGE 2: OTA student Jessica Fernandez monitors the elder as she experiences virtual reality.

 

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