2/5/2025 | 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM | Grand Peninsula D

Can virtual reality and artificial intelligence improve quality of life for individuals with dementia through reminiscence therapy?

Author(s)

Gloria James-Avalos | UNT

Abstract

Dementia, which has no cure, is a syndrome that involves a progression of cognitive impairment leading to loss of memory, communication, and daily activity function which involves the inability to self-regulate and complete everyday tasks (World Health Organization n.d.). Reminiscence Therapy (RT) is an intervention that recalls the user’s memories and experiences. Individuals with dementia, can recall stories from their past rather than from their short-term memory. Remembering these past experiences with RT, triggers emotions that lead to feelings of comfort and stimulation. Evidence supports that emotion plays a major role in human cognitive processes, such as perception, attention, learning, and memory. It notably affects how attention is focused and drives actions and behaviors (Tyng et al., 2017).

If Reminiscence Therapy has shown to have a small positive effect in improving quality of life for individuals with dementia, can RT through immersive technology, such as VR, improve the benefits further?