Silver Healing: VR Treatment for Elderly Mental Illness

Introduction: When Technology Meets Soul

Imagine putting on a pair of special glasses and entering a peaceful beach, feeling the warm sunshine and gentle sea breeze. This is not a plot from a science fiction novel, but a healing experience that virtual reality (VR) technology brings to elderly patients with mental illness. This article will take you into this new world full of miracles and explore how VR can become a guardian of elderly mental health.

What is VR Therapy?

VR therapy is a method of psychological therapy using virtual reality technology, which helps patients face and deal with their psychological problems, such as fear, anxiety, depression, etc., by simulating a real environment. It is not only a tool for treating diseases, but also a bridge to the depths of the soul. Now, the application of virtual reality technology in the medical field has begun to take shape.

Advantages of VR therapy :

We know that the treatment of mental illness is a very complex and lengthy process. Digital therapy, through artificial intelligence and big data systems to assist doctors in diagnosis and treatment, can get rid of spatial limitations, significantly reduce treatment costs, and provide 24-hour diagnosis and treatment, which are advantages that traditional treatment models do not have. The application of VR can not only play a timely role in disease intervention, but also have a good effect on the dissemination of knowledge about mental illness. This article focuses on the combination of common mental and psychological disease characteristics of the elderly with VR technology, and introduces it from the shallow to the deep.

1. Anxiety disorder in the elderly

Geriatric anxiety is a common mental disorder with a higher incidence among the elderly. The disease may be caused by a variety of factors, including fear of death and concern about physical pain. In the treatment of anxiety, VR can help elderly patients gradually adapt to their anxiety triggers in a safe environment through virtual reality scenes.

(1) Wearable devices help overcome fear : In a virtual environment, patients can face and deal with their fears and anxieties in a safe environment. For example, elderly patients with anxiety disorders wear VR helmets and gradually face situations they fear, as shown in the figure, in a virtual crowded place. A psychologist provides guidance and adjusts the treatment process by observing the elderly's reactions.

(2) Digital technology collaborates with pain management : VR can create a distracting environment to help elderly anxious patients relieve chronic pain. As shown in the picture, an elderly patient lies on a treatment chair in a medical center. In the deep blue virtual underwater world, medical staff monitor the patient's vital signs, and handheld devices display pain relief indicators to customize pain treatment plans.

2. Depression in the elderly

The symptoms of depression in the elderly are diverse, including sadness, suicidal tendencies, etc. In addition, elderly patients with depression may be unwilling to seek medical treatment due to the stigma of the disease. VR treatment guides elderly patients to receive treatment in virtual social scenarios, sets up virtual characters, and these virtual characters have certain "perception" and "appropriate facial expressions" to achieve social activities with patients.

(1) Relaxation training through virtual social interaction: Entertainment activities conducted through VR technology can improve the emotional state of elderly patients with depression. As shown in the figure, elderly patients with depression participate in virtual community activities through VR helmets. They communicate with virtual characters, reduce loneliness, and relax emotionally.

(2) Virtual scenarios enhance social skills: For elderly people who are afraid of socializing, VR provides a stress-free scenario to practice social skills. As shown in the figure, an elderly patient enters a virtual teahouse or chess and card room with curiosity. The system uses behavioral cognitive therapy and exposure therapy to train the patient multiple times, gradually guiding the elderly patient to be positive and optimistic in interpersonal communication.

3. Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer's disease, also known as dementia, is a common degenerative brain disease. The precursors of the disease include memory impairment, language impairment, visual-spatial impairment, etc. VR training can help patients with dementia improve their memory and attention, and effectively improve their quality of life.

(1) Reality-oriented cognitive training: For the memory impairment and language barrier problems of elderly patients with dementia, interactive games and challenges in VR can stimulate the brain, and reality-oriented skill training can help elderly patients keep their minds sharp. As shown in the figure, elderly patients are in a virtual supermarket. The staff guides the elderly patients to reach out and take a specific product, or encourages them to recall scenes from their youth, such as old streets or family gatherings, to evoke good memories for the patients.

(2) Rehabilitation training to prevent falls: To address visual-spatial impairments, patients with dementia can practice balance and walking in a safe VR environment. Wearing a VR helmet and foot sensors, they can simulate paths in daily environments and overcome obstacles and ground materials of varying difficulty. At the same time, physical therapists provide guidance, and handheld devices display the patient's balance and gait data, so that they can develop a special anti-fall plan for patients with dementia.

Future Outlook: The Future of VR Therapy

In recent years, VR has been used to treat mental illness in the elderly, not just in the cases mentioned above. With the advancement of technology and the reduction of costs, VR treatment is expected to become a regular option for the treatment of mental illness in the elderly, and future research will focus more on personalized treatment and interdisciplinary collaboration. However, VR treatment technology is both an opportunity and a challenge. Although the cost of VR equipment and software is decreasing, there is still a way to go before it can be popularized to every patient who needs it. At the same time, patients with dementia may need time to adapt to this new technology, but once they do, they may find that VR is a powerful treatment tool.

Conclusion: Opening a new era of silver healing

The application of virtual reality technology in the treatment of elderly mental illness heralds the beginning of a new era of silver healing. In recent years, the treatment of elderly mental illness is not only about controlling mental symptoms, but more importantly, restoring their social functions. VR, as a new treatment model, can solve many difficulties faced by traditional medicine. Although the road is full of challenges, the power of technology has undoubtedly brought new hope and possibilities to patients.

Author: Li Xunhua, Vice Dean of the School of Nursing, Chuzhou City Vocational College; Wang Yan, Secretary of the Youth League Committee of the School of Nursing, Chuzhou City Vocational College; Wang Jing, Staff Member of the School of Nursing, Chuzhou City Vocational College

Review expert: Li Xunhua, Vice Dean of the School of Nursing, Chuzhou City Vocational College