Percorrer por autor "Peres, Beatriz"
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- Co-designing companions in virtual natural environments for enhanced well-being: insights from dementia informal caregiversPublication . Peres, Beatriz; Lopes, Daniel S; Jorge, Joaquim; Campos, Pedro F.; Rodrigues Jardim Rino Peres, Beatriz; Pereira Campos, Pedro Filipe; Campos, PedroInformal caregivers of family members with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) perform an often difficult and emo tionally demanding task. The combination of Virtual Natural Envi ronments (VNEs) and some form of social interaction could help meet some caregiver needs but remains unexplored. In this study, we investigate how ADRD informal caregivers envision compan ionship in the context of VR nature. Through co-design sessions with 15 ADRD informal caregivers, the thematic analysis identified four main themes: companionship needs, physical presence, vir tual presence, and characteristics and behaviors. Diverse types of companions were suggested, with a preference for empathetic, cred ible, and authentic companionship. Design opportunities include integrating physical and virtual companionship within VNEs. This research highlights the importance of designing companions that help caregivers feel understood. Considering informal caregivers’ perspectives is integral to developing interventions that effectively address their emotional and social well-being.
- Digitally augmenting the physical ground space with timed visual cues for crutch-assisted walkingPublication . Peres, Beatriz; Campos, Pedro; Azadegan, AidaThis late-breaking work presents initial results regarding a novel mobile-projection system, aimed at helping people to learn how to walk with crutches. The existing projection-based solutions for gait training disorders are based on walking over a fixed surface (usually a treadmill). In contrast, our solution projects visual cues (footprints and crutch icons) directly into the floor, augmenting the physical space surrounding the crutches, in a portable way. Walking with crutches is a learning skill that requires continuous repetition and constant attention to detail to make sure they are being used correctly, avoiding negative consequences, such as falls or injuries. We conducted expert consultation sessions, and we identified the main issues that patients face when walking with crutches. This informed the design of Augmented Crutches. We performed a qualitative evaluation and conclude with design implications: the importance of timing, self-assurance and awareness.
- A digitally-augmented ground space with timed visual cues for facilitating forearm crutches’ mobilityPublication . Peres, Beatriz; Campos, Pedro; Azadegan, AidaPersuasive technologies for physical rehabilitation have been pro posed in a number of different health interventions such as post-stroke gait rehabilitation. We propose a new persuasive system, called Augmented Crut ches, aimed at helping people to walk with crutches. People with injuries, or with any sort of mobility problem typically use assistive devices such as crut ches, walkers or canes in order to be able to walk more independently. However, walking with crutches is a learning skill that needs continuous repetition and constant attention to detail in order to walk correctly with them and without suffering negative consequences, such as falls or injuries. In close collaboration with therapists, we identify the main issues that patients face when walking with crutches. These vary from person to person, but the most common and hardest challenges are the position and coordination of the crutches. Augmented Crut ches studies human behavior aspects in these situations and augments the ground space around the user with digital visual cues where timing is the most important factor, without the need for a constant therapist providing manual help. This is performed through a mini-projector connected to a smartphone, worn by the user in a portable, lightweight manner. Our system helps people to learn how to walk using crutches with increased self-confidence and motivation. Additionally, our work identifies timing, controllability and awareness as the key design dimensions for the successful creation of persuasive, interactive experiences for learning how to walk with crutches.
- Don’t forget to take Some time to yourself: the effect of mobile phone reminders on self-care subdomains of informal caregiversPublication . Peres, Beatriz; Noronha, Hildegardo; Campos, PedroThe lives of informal caregivers can get so busy and overwhelmed that they stop caring for themselves. A simple daily mobile phone reminder may be enough to restore some of their self-care. In this study, we explore the effects of reminders in the lives of informal caregivers, specifically in the Mindful Self-Care Scale subdomains. We found positive effects in the Supportive Relationships and the Mindful Relaxation subdomains with medium effects. Despite not being statistically significant, the Mindful Awareness and the Self Compassion and Purpose subdomains have low enough p-values for us to argue that they may create positive effects if coupled with extra call-to-action features. This should be explored in future studies. The Supportive Structure subdomain seems to have no relation or be affected in any relevant way by the reminders.
- Many cues, few clues: identifying design opportunities for digital cues in physical rehabilitation processesPublication . Peres, Beatriz; Ader, Lilian G. Motti; Campos, Pedro F.; Pereira Campos, Pedro Filipe; Campos, PedroCueing is defined as the use of external temporal or spatial stimuli to facilitate the initiation and continuation of movement. For gait rehabilitation, cues can take the form of multimodal stimuli, providing metrics and instructions for patients to correct their movements, and can be used in multiple contexts and objectives. Therefore, the design space of interactive systems for rehabilitation is quite broad and there is a lack of systematic guidance for designers who are interested in creating and evaluating novel assistive tools. We performed a systematic literature review on the usage of cues in gait rehabilitation. In this paper, we present the preliminary results of this review, focusing on the use of digital and non-digital cues combined with mobility aid such as crutches. We discuss some considerations for future studies evaluating the design of assistive devices in physical rehabilitation and provide initial recommendations for context-adaptive digital cues, opening new perspectives for tailored and personalised gait training and rehabilitation.
- "Pick a nature sound now to feel better": the effects of listening to a chosen natural sound on informal caregivers' well-beingPublication . Peres, Beatriz; Campos, Pedro; Pereira Campos, Pedro Filipe; Campos, PedroCaring for a loved one can be challenging and stressful, making it crucial for caregivers to prioritize their own well-being. Listening to nature sounds may provide caregivers with a much-needed respite from their responsibilities. Research indicates that personal prefer ences significantly influence well-being, as granting autonomy in task selection can positively impacthealth. Inthispreliminarystudy, weexplored the effects of selecting nature sounds on mobile phones for the well-being of informal caregivers. Specifically, we compared the effects of chosen sounds versus random sounds. We recruited twenty-eight informal caregivers, primarily women, and used the SAM and PANAS scales to assess well-being at baseline, during random sound exposure, and while listening to chosen sounds. Our findings suggest that nature sounds accessed via mobile phones can enhance the well-being of informal caregivers in at least three key areas: Valence, Positive Affect, and Negative Affect. Notably, the im provements in valence and positive affect were more pronounced when caregivers selected their own nature sounds compared to when they listened to random sounds.
- The impact of mobile phone reminders on perceived self-care levels of informal caregiversPublication . Peres, Beatriz; Gouveia, Élvio Rúbio; Campos, Pedro F.: Informal caregivers play a fundamental role in caring for people that need assistance and provide an effective service in managing their loved ones’ health. Because of this, they have little time to attend to themselves and perform self-care practices. Some of these practices can improve mental health. By snowball sampling, we recruited 15 informal caregivers, 12 females and three males. Using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, we analyzed the impact of the reminders on a self-care scale. We used the Mindful Self-Care Scale, comparing the same population without reminders and with reminders. Results indicated that total self-care scores with reminders increased statistically significantly, T = 13, Z = −2.481, p ≤ 0.013, with a large effect size (r = 0.64). This study shows a significant self-care increase in informal caregivers after using reminders. Future development of a reminders-based approach could focus on increasing self-care and the time caregivers take for themselves, empowering them to take a more active role in meeting their own needs.
- Virtual reality exposure treatment in phobias: a systematic reviewPublication . Freitas, José Rúben Silva; Velosa, Vitor Hugo Silva; Abreu, Leonardo Tadeu Nunes; Jardim, Ricardo Lucas; Santos, João Artur Vieira; Peres, Beatriz; Campos, Pedro F.; Pereira Campos, Pedro FilipeWe compare the relative efficacy of virtual reality therapy exposure (VRET) versus in vivo therapy exposure among individuals suffering from phobias. A systematic search was completed up to 03 April 2020, using the following databases: ACM Digital Library, ResearchGate, IEEE, Science Direct, MIT PressJournals, Center for Direct Scientific Com munication (CCSD) and Mary Ann Liebert Publishers. Five authors searched the databases using the following terms: Virtual Reality, Phobia, Mental health, Computing, Therapy, HMD, CAVE, Virtual ambient, in virtuo, Avoidance, Exposure, VRET, in vivo, Anxiety, Agoraphobia, Social Phobia, Stimuli, Cognitive–behaviour. All studies that evaluate the effect of in virtuo exposure towards phobia rehabilitation were selected. By reviewing the article, each author then applied the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and 30 articles were selected. Data extracted included the number of samples, amount of sessions, study variables that may affect the final outcome, therapy technology. The data provided was synthesized using a meta-analysis based on the results. The results demonstrated a posi tive outcome of Virtual Reality Exposure Treatment in the treatment of most phobias. In contrast, some of these treatments did not work for a few specific phobias in which the standard procedures were more effective. The findings suggest that for some specific pho bias treatment, Virtual Reality Exposure Treatment does not reach the in vivo exposure level of immersion and presence. Further research is needed to perform studies with higher dimension samples, since many papers report a low sample size and that is probably why many of them have inconclusive results.