VR-based meditation
Dr. Sekhon and her colleagues are now conducting a randomized controlled trial of VR meditation in older adults. VR-based meditation has been shown to increase relaxation and to decrease anxiety, sadness, and anger in younger adults. However, it has not been studied in the geriatric population.
The pilot study is assessing the feasibility and tolerability of VR meditation for older adults and its effects on stress, anxiety, depression, sleep, and quality of life. The study involves 30 adults aged 60 years and older.
Participants receive either 15-minute VR mindfulness meditation sessions twice a week for 4 weeks or are on a control wait list. The meditation sessions are user friendly and focus on breath meditation and body scans, Dr. Sekhon reported.
Because participants are older and balance is a concern, safety steps are incorporated into the sessions. “We ensure they’re doing this in a seated position, in a chair with arm rests, so that they’re very stable and there’s no risk of falls,” said Dr. Sekhon.
Another concern with VR is motion sickness, she noted. “It’s pretty minimal, but the best way we found so far is giving older adults time to adapt and feel comfortable with the VR,” she said. From the first session, participants learn how to put on the device and are checked to make sure they are comfortable with the process. To help them get used to everything, video and audio are not included during the first session.
Dr. Sekhon noted that results from the study are expected later this year.
In addition to mindfulness, researchers are using VR to deliver other established interventions, such as exposure therapy – and are implementing these approaches in varied environments, including long-term and palliative care settings.
VR-related technology is constantly improving and is becoming easier to use and more affordable, said Dr. Sekhon. She noted that the simplest devices that rely on smartphones cost as little as $15.
Although VR in older adults is promising, there are barriers to its adoption and use in research, she noted. For example, older adults may have cognitive, visual, or hearing impairments. They may have limited digital literacy, and/or they may not have access to the required technology.
These barriers can be overcome through workarounds, including providing instructional videos and digital literacy assistance via Zoom and working with community partners to facilitate study recruitment of older patients, Dr. Sekhon said.
Dr. Sekhon’s research is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Fonds de recherche du Quebec Sante.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.