Technology and Family Thriving Study

Summary

The purpose of this project is to test the impact of different forms of technology (virtual reality vs. video chat) on quality of life and family relationships in older adults who reside in senior living communities and an adult child who lives at a distance. The study will also investigate whether responses to the technology and quality of life outcomes depend on older adults' level of cognitive impairment.

Conditions

• Alzheimer Disease
• Dementia
• Caregiver Burnout
• Quality of Life
• Mental Health Wellness 1
• Loneliness
• Family Relationship

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Virtual Reality

Older adults (residents of senior living communities) engage in four 20-minute virtual reality activities (via the Rendever platform) with their adult child each week for 4 consecutive weeks. The 4 sessions include immersive virtual adventures (e.g., bucket list travel) and reminiscence activities (e.g., virtual life story). Adult children participate remotely from their own homes.

BEHAVIORAL

Video Chat

Older adults (residents of senior living communities) engage in four 20-minute video chat sessions (via the Zoom platform) with their adult child each week for 4 consecutive weeks. Adult children participate remotely from their own homes.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Rendever, Inc.

  collaborator INDUSTRY

• National Institute on Aging (NIA)

  collaborator NIH

• University of California, Santa Barbara

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Tamara Afifi, PhD · University of California, Santa Barbara

• Kyle Rand, B.A. · Rendever Co.

• Nancy Collins, PhD · University of California, Santa Barbara

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-10-02

Primary Completion

2024-03-16

Completion

2024-03-16

Countries

• United States

Study Locations