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Animal-assisted therapy for Alzheimer patients using virtual reality
| Name: | Description: | Size: | Format: | |
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| 2.62 MB | Adobe PDF |
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Abstract(s)
A doença de Alzheimer é a principal causa de demência. Trata-se de uma doença neurodegenerativa incurável que conduz a falhas cognitivas e problemas comportamentais. A demência constitui um enorme fardo social e económico para os doentes e para os cuidadores. A medicação ajuda a prevenir alguns sintomas da doença, mas não cura podendo revelar efeitos secundários indesejáveis. Algumas terapias alternativas têm vindo a ser exploradas, por exemplo a terapia animal (AAT). Para evitar as desvantagens da terapia animal, como a necessidade de treino, foi desenvolvida uma solução com realidade virtual. Realizamos um estudo com 12 pacientes diagnosticados com demência para perceber que tecnologias e modos de interação são mais adequados para esta população. Os resultados indicam que tecnologias com interação direta são mais adequadas (por exemplo Tablet ou AR). Foi desenvolvido um jogo de interação com animal para tablets. Realizou-se um estudo com 10 pacientes diagnosticados com demência num centro de dia. Este estudo tinha o objetivo de examinar a aplicabilidade desta ferramenta nesta população e perceber se uma sessão de terapia animal virtual poderia ter efeitos na disposição do participante, através da avaliação das suas respostas emocionais. Os participantes responderam a questionários pré- e pós-intervenção para obtenção de informação relativa ao seu estado emocional e à sua perceção da sessão de jogo. Foi utilizado um questionário destinado ao terapeuta que registou a sua opinião relativa aos efeitos no participante. Os resultados indicam melhorias na disposição dos participantes, uma boa aceitação e usabilidade desta abordagem e respostas emocionais positivas.
The Alzheimer’s Disease is the main cause of dementia. It is incurable and regarded as a neurodegenerative disease that leads to cognitive and behavioral impairment. Dementia brings along a heavy burden from both a social and economic perspective. Traditional medication helps in slowing down the disease but is not able to cure it, and it may also bring undesirable side-effects. Alternative therapies are being further explored, being one of them Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT). To avoid the disadvantages of conventional AAT, such as the need for trained animals, or hygiene issues, a Virtual Reality approach was adopted. We conducted a pilot study with 12 dementia patients to understand which technologies and interaction modalities were preferred when developing for this population. Devices that promote direct interaction were preferred (Tablet and AR) so, combining the positive aspects of traditional AAT and the promising aid of VR, an animal interaction tablet game was developed for this population. This study, conducted with 10 dementia patients in a daily-care center, aimed to examine whether a session of virtual AAT was feasible and able to produce any changes in the mood of participants, evaluating the acceptance and emotional responses as well. Participants completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires to assess their mood and perception of the game session and a therapist was also asked to provide insight on each participant. Therapist’s reports and observations reveal positive mood changes, good acceptance by the patients and positive emotional responses.
The Alzheimer’s Disease is the main cause of dementia. It is incurable and regarded as a neurodegenerative disease that leads to cognitive and behavioral impairment. Dementia brings along a heavy burden from both a social and economic perspective. Traditional medication helps in slowing down the disease but is not able to cure it, and it may also bring undesirable side-effects. Alternative therapies are being further explored, being one of them Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT). To avoid the disadvantages of conventional AAT, such as the need for trained animals, or hygiene issues, a Virtual Reality approach was adopted. We conducted a pilot study with 12 dementia patients to understand which technologies and interaction modalities were preferred when developing for this population. Devices that promote direct interaction were preferred (Tablet and AR) so, combining the positive aspects of traditional AAT and the promising aid of VR, an animal interaction tablet game was developed for this population. This study, conducted with 10 dementia patients in a daily-care center, aimed to examine whether a session of virtual AAT was feasible and able to produce any changes in the mood of participants, evaluating the acceptance and emotional responses as well. Participants completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires to assess their mood and perception of the game session and a therapist was also asked to provide insight on each participant. Therapist’s reports and observations reveal positive mood changes, good acceptance by the patients and positive emotional responses.
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Keywords
Doença de Alzheimer Demência Terapia animal Realidade virtual Dementia Alzheimer's disease Animal-assisted therapy Virtual reality Computer science Computer Engineering . Faculdade de Ciências Exatas e da Engenharia