Develop Extended Reality Behavioral Training
The rising prevalence of Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, among individuals aged 65 and above in the United States is expected to double from 6.5 million to approximately 13.8 million by 2050, signaling a surge of about 4.7%.
Behavioral symptoms manifest in 90% of individuals living with dementia, profoundly impacting patients, families, and healthcare costs globally. Insufficient healthcare and allied professionals' education on the management of these symptoms exacerbate this impact, leading to suboptimal dementia care.
Our research project aims to develop a gamified, extended reality-enabled, self-paced behavioral training application (G-XRBT app) to enhance competence among healthcare students through the combination of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality to provide seamless immersive experiential learning experiences in a virtual environment. The G-XRBT app will simulate care provision interactions with diverse avatars with dementia exhibiting behavior symptoms, offering a realistic and immersive learning environment for undergraduate students across healthcare disciplines. By engaging with scenarios and educational resources within the G-XRBT platform, students will acquire dementia knowledge and improve their skills in managing behavioral symptoms in dementia, ultimately improving quality of life, and reducing caregiver and institutional burdens when providing care as healthcare professionals upon graduation.