Abraham, Nicola

English

Central Research and Creativity Online - Royal Central School of Speech and Drama

2ND JUNE, 2020Wonder VR: creating meaningful experiences forpatients in the midst of uncertaintyDr Nicola Abraham, Royal Central School of Speech and DramaOn Saturday 23rd May 2020, I virtually attended a webinar led by the International Psychogeriatric Association, whodetailed the impact of the pandemic focussing on the risks to the wellbeing and mental health of older adults,particularly those living with dementia, who are socially isolating.This was a conference for mental health professional, I am not a mental health professional. I have been working with Imperial CollegeHealthcare NHS Trust in collaboration with the Dementia Care Team led by Nurse Consultant Jo James for over five years now offering a range ofapplied theatre and media based projects for patients living with dementia. I was expecting a list of scientific studies from the conference usingmedical terms I wouldn’t understand, and referring to a knowledge base I am learning. Instead, the conference read as a plea for action and moresignificant thought to be given to the welfare of our global elderly population who are likely to deteriorate with little cognitive stimulation as aresult of fewer social interactions due to social distancing.The conference gave a strong call to advocate for the human rights of our older population referring to the United Nations Convention on theRights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) which articulates the importance of agency and autonomy in care and support. Professor CarmellePesiah (2020) outlined the importance of fighting ageism that has increased in the wake of COVID-19. Professor Myrra Vernooij-Dassen (2020)advised on the importance of continuing to find ways to support cognitive and mental health with people feeling the impact of loneliness from therules in care homes that prevent visits from relatives. She additionally noted the need for political decision-making in COVID-19 not to just focuson the knowledge of the virus and the economy, but also on the social, cognitive and mental health risks to social distancing. There is a clearadvocation of finding new ways to engage, to empathise, to care and support leisure activities that involve social interaction through othermeans, for example through engagement with virtual technologies.In 2019, I worked with a Clinical Nurse and Nurse Consultant from the Dementia Care Team to devise and deliver a project using Virtual Reality360 Video (VR 360) for patients living with dementia. The project is a person-centred approach working on the creation of bespoke VR 360videos for patients to develop our understanding of places that patients miss, aspire to visit or feel connected too. An applied theatre practitioner(an MA Applied Theatre student or I) work directly with patients alongside Clinical Nurse, Natascha Teszner, to develop basic narratives aroundthe places patients wish to see. We then translate this into a VR 360 video by finding equivalent locations or where possible the exact locationthe patient would like to see and create a short film bringing to life the narrative of the story developed by the patient. The films are created have enabled patients who are distressed, agitated or lonely, to feel a sense of wonder, which often equates to joy – animportant aspect of improved wellbeing. Phillip Fisher (1998) discusses the aesthetics of rare experiences creating a sense of wonder, forexample the first time we encounter a rainbow. With VR 360 video, the newness of an experience of a familiar place is apparent through the useof the technology to create an immersive environment for patients. Enabling feelings of wonder that may improve subjective wellbeing forpatients is at the centre of this project. It also acts to address the issues outlined by Vernooij-Dassen (2020), by creating a way for patients whomay have limited mobility to experience a place that would otherwise be very challenging to access i.e. a zoo, or a beach, or a park the other sideof London. It also importantly challenges expectations about older people and their relationship with technology providing a counter point forageism that suggests people don’t want to engage with cutting edge technology. We have found that in fact patients who choose to take part inthe project are very responsive, and enjoy engaging with VR headsets, and express delight when explaining what they can see and how they feelin this experience. Another challenge discussed in the IPA (2020) conference outlined the importance of listening to older adults living with dementia. This projectputs the agency of patients engaging with the project at the heart of the practice. In hospitals, patients may often feel that other people aremaking decisions on their behalf about their care, their treatment, and their bodies. We hope that Wonder VR, can provide agency for patients toexpress their ideas, and to feel heard in the VR 360 videos that are not mass produced, but are instead bespoke and tailored for the accessneeds and ideas of each individual. Nurse Consultant, Jo James discussing the project noted the following:Menu ☰BACK TO TOPBACK TO ALL BLOGS (/blogs/the-tcce-blog/)With the continuation of lockdown and social distancing, we aim to continue to offer our project virtually to support not only patients in hospitals,but people at home who are not experiencing the same level of social interaction or exposure to locations they miss. We have also createdinteractive elements in VR 360 video to provide a further level of discovery and joy for patients wishing to have a multi-sensory experience oftheir film (see supporting resources for examples).The consequences of the pandemic are already being felt, which Professor Diego De Leo (2020) explained with the devastating tragedy of olderadults taking their lives as a result of the fear that has accumulated from the pandemic, and the resulting anxiety and concerns about low survivalrates for older adults, particularly those over 70+yrs, with stats suggesting over 70s form 84% of all individuals who had died from the virus. Thesuspected suicides that have happened in this population have been linked to increasing depression resulting from loneliness in older adultssocially distancing. William E. Reichman offered us an important reminder in his closing comments noting that the pandemic has revealed pre-existing problems for older adults in relation to connections, accessing transportation to travel to seek medical support, and to interact with otherolder adults. These problems existed before the pandemic, they are now more pronounced and warrant action. Wonder VR can offer at least onestep towards addressing the issues outlined in this conference, it can offer hope, it can offer a creatively listening ear, connection and support forolder adults living with dementia, though clearly there is much more that needs to be done.Bibliography:De Leo, D. (2020) Mental health, Depression, Loneliness, and Suicide from COVID-19, IPA, Online Webinar, 23rd May 2020.Fisher, P. (1998) Wonder, the Rainbow, and the Aesthetics of Rare Experiences, Harvard University Press: Cambridge, Massachusetts.Pesisah, C. (2020) Older persons’ human rights and the COVID pandemic: are they compatible?, IPA, Online Webinar, 23rd May 2020.United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Disability (2020) Article 30 – Participation in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport,Available at:https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities/article-30-participation-in-cultural-life-recreation-leisure-and-sport.html (https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities/article-30-participation-in-cultural-life-recreation-leisure-and-sport.html), Accessed [26/05/20]Vernooij-Dassen, M. (2020) The risks of social distancing for older persons, IPA, Online Webinar, 23rd May 2020. Further Resources:IPA (2020) COVID-19, social distancing and its impact on social and mental health of the elderly population (https://www.ipa-online.org/events/online-education/covid-19-webinar), Online Webinar, 23rd May 2020.IPA (2020) COVID-19 Webinar, Available at: https://www.ipa-online.org/events/online-education/covid19-webinar#vlog (https://www.ipa-online.org/events/online-education/covid19-webinar#vlog), [Accessed 25/05/20].IPA Office (2020) COVID 19 Webinar 5.23.20 – Final, available at: https://vimeo.com/421959533/d91976b950(https://vimeo.com/421959533/d91976b950)[Accessed 25/05/20].The Beach & Reggae VR 360 Video Demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5sWRQulDc8&t=84s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5sWRQulDc8&t=84s)Instructional Interactive VR 360 Training Video Demo https://youtu.be/0rzgJ43Ikp8 (https://youtu.be/0rzgJ43Ikp8)Instructional Video with Facilitator VR 360 Demo https://youtu.be/eViKSuZt8nQ (https://youtu.be/eViKSuZt8nQ)What has been powerful about this programme is the person centred approach to it. Thepatients are co-designing the experience that they want and so it is born from acombination of the patient’s wishes and imagination and the practitioner’s skill both inlistening and interpreting what has been expressed. It gives a chance for people withouta voice to feel heard and to be creative in ways that have not been available before(Nurse Consultant, 2019).“ ”« previews blog(https://www.theculturecapitalexchange.co.uk/2020/06/02/exploring-the-notion-of-relevance-now/)next blog »(https://www.theculturecapitalexchange.co.uk/2020/06/02/social-media-lockdown-and-heteroglossic-stew/)REFINE RESULTSType your search term(s)...Select categorySelect tagSelect date range (from/to)dd/mm/yyyydd/mm/yyyySEARCHOTHER BLOGS15TH JULY, 2020Lockdown ArtsElaine McNeill, Student Development Coordinator Liverpool School of Art and Design(https://www.theculturecapitalexchange.co.uk/2020/07/15/lockdown-arts/)7TH JULY, 2020Is there a post-pandemic zeitgeist?Dr Mark Gray(https://www.theculturecapitalexchange.co.uk/2020/07/07/is-there-a-post-pandemic-zeitgeist/)7TH JULY, 2020Resilience in the “new normal”Claire Pattison Enterprise Fellow, Manchester Metropolitan University(https://www.theculturecapitalexchange.co.uk/2020/07/07/resilience-in-the-new-normal/)2ND JUNE, 2020Social Media, Lockdown and Heteroglossic StewDr Rebekka Kill(https://www.theculturecapitalexchange.co.uk/2020/06/02/social-media-lockdown-and-heteroglossic-stew/)30TH APRIL, 2020Stepping Out of the Georgian Era into a PandemicDr Karen E.McAulay, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland(https://www.theculturecapitalexchange.co.uk/2020/04/30/stepping-out-of-the-georgian-era-into-a-pandemic/)30TH APRIL, 2020Intellectual Property: Content Online – Confidentiality and CopyrightRuth Soetendorp, Visiting Professor of the University of the Arts London Visiting Academic, Cass Business School, City, University of LondonProfessor Emerita, Bournemouth University Associate Director, Centre for Intellectual Property Policy & Management Intellectual PropertyAwareness Network Education Group founding convenor HEA National Teaching Fellow(https://www.theculturecapitalexchange.co.uk/2020/04/30/intellectual-property-content-online-confidentiality-and-copyright/)MORE FROM TCCE(https://www.theculturecapitalexchange.co.uk/publications-and-resources/) (https://www.theculturecapitalexchange.co.uk/areas-of-work/)Publications and Resources(https://www.theculturecapitalexchange.co.uk/blogs/)Areas of WorkBlogs(https://twitter.com/InfoTCCE)Latest Tweetsin association withEAUC (https://twitter.com/intent/user?user_id=250238741)@TheEAUC (https://twitter com/intent/user?user id=250238741)(/)About (https://www.theculturecapitalexchange.co.uk/about-us/)News and Events (https://www.theculturecapitalexchange.co.uk/news-and-events/)Areas of Work (https://www.theculturecapitalexchange.co.uk/areas-of-work/)Publications and Resources (https://www.theculturecapitalexchange.co.uk/publications-and-resources/)Working with Us (https://www.theculturecapitalexchange.co.uk/working-with-us/)Privacy Policy (https://www.theculturecapitalexchange.co.uk/privacy-policy/)Contact Us (/contact-us/)Tel: +44 02038970770 / 02038970771 Email: info@tcce.co.uk (mailto:info@tcce.co.uk)Follow us:  (https://www.facebook.com/TheCultureCapitalExchange)   (https://twitter.com/InfoTCCE)   (https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-culture-capital-exchange)Search SiteSignup to our Newsletter (https://theculturecapitalexchange.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=508318f9b8bd034d8289db39b&id=692cb16f44)TCCE Membership (/membership/)© TCCE. 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Wonder VR: creating meaningful experiences for patients in the midst of uncertainty

http://crco.cssd.ac.uk/id/eprint/1560/1/Wonder%20VR_%20creating%20meaningful%20experiences%20for%20patients%20in%20the%20midst%20of%20uncertainty%20%C2%BB%20The%20Culture%20Capital%20Exchange.pdf

Wonder VR: creating meaningful experiences for patients in the midst of uncertainty

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Central Research and Creativity Online - Royal Central School of Speech and Drama