In partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Mynd Immersive – a technology company specializing in comprehensive reality therapies for older adults – will collaborate with VA Immersive, part of the VA’s Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning, to improve the psychological well-being of Vietnam’s tackle veterans. .
WHY IT MATTERS
The company said the three-year research and development agreement will enable the combination of cutting-edge virtual reality technology with original content from the studios and the agency’s deep understanding of the emotional and psychological needs of Vietnam veterans.
The virtual reality project for older Vietnam veterans, A Path to Peace, will promote emotional care for veterans, the company said.
The goal is “to create a safe and relaxing environment in which veterans can explore the modern vibrancy of Vietnam while promoting reconciliation, peace and healing,” Chris Brickler, CEO of Mynd Immersive, said in a statement.
To enhance the development of the new are made.
The company noted that its
THE BIG TREND
According to the VA’s Office of Research & Development, Vietnam veterans represent the largest cohort of U.S. veterans in terms of era of service.
In 1988, the completed National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study concluded that “a substantial minority of Vietnam-era veterans suffered from a variety of psychological problems, such as PTSD, and experienced a wide range of life adjustment problems,” according to the VA. , pointing to his research on Vietnam veterans.
In a large, multi-year study with Stanford University, VR therapies improved mood, reduced feelings of isolation, and improved senior-caregiver relationships.
Dr. Jeremy Bailenson, founder and director of Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, has noted that the benefits of VR are transformative for seniors.
In a survey of 245 older adults and 39 caregivers in 16 senior living communities in 10 states, 94.9% said using VR was “moderately to extremely beneficial to their relationships” with patients, while 89.5% of senior residents surveyed reported the same . about their relationship with their caregivers.
“The response from both caregivers and seniors was quite positive, indicating that VR could be a sustainable and useful tool in elderly care,” Bailenson said in November when the study results were announced.
VR is the “Goldilocks” answer to behavioral and mental health workforce shortages, says Risa Weisberg, chief clinical officer at digital therapy provider Realized Care. Healthcare IT news in 2022.
“These experiences, because they are completely immersive and processed as if they were actually happening to you, promise to potentially demonstrate clinical effectiveness perhaps more comparable to that of some in-person therapies, but with the flexibility to be used without guidance.” physician present,” said Weisberg, a licensed clinical psychologist and professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine.
ON THE RECORD
“Immersive content can dramatically increase older adults’ socialization with their caregivers,” says Dr. Skip Rizzo, clinical psychologist and research director of the Institute for Creative Technologies for Medical Virtual Reality at the University of Southern California and co-founder of Mynd’s advisory board. rack. “This application represents an important and powerful step forward in the emotional health and well-being of our veterans and those who care for them.”
Andrea Fox is editor-in-chief of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.