Older adults staying connected with virtual reality
Tamara Affifi, CALS-affiliated faculty member, and Nancy Collins, Psychological & Brain Sciences, awarded multi-million dollar grant to study VR with older adults
UCSB professors Tamara Afifi, from the Department of Communication, and Nancy Collins, from Psychological and Brain Sciences, have received $2 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to begin a two-year clinical trial to investigate how VR can be used to improve the lives of seniors. Participants in their studies meet-up in virtual environments for activities such as revisiting their favorite places from their past, and sharing virtual experiences with their remote family members. Afifi and Collins’ pilot work indicated that VR sessions with loved ones has the potential to reduce loneliness, boost mood, and improve seniors' quality of life.
