Virtual Reality Games for Elderly Socialization

Background: The use of new Technologies, such as the resources of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), appears as a valuable tool to promote socialization in many groups of people. Serious games with virtual reality are an example of these resources and might bring benefits also to the elderly population, allowing an enjoyable and safe interaction that uses various sensorial stimuli. The purpose of this study protocol is to evaluate the effects of practicing virtual reality games on elderly socialization.

Method/Design: It will be an experimental, prospective longitudinal study which will use serious games with virtual reality to improve the socialization of elderly people. A minimum of 23 people aged 60 years and older, of both sexes, from an informatics course for beginners will participate in the study. The evaluation will consist mainly in answering two validated questionnaires on socialization, the short Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults (SELSA-S) and short-form UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-6). Reaction time and performance will also be measured by three virtual reality games, namely Reaction Time, Random and Moviletrando. All this evaluation will be repeated in three moments: T0 - at baseline; T1 - after 8 conventional informatics classes and; T2 - after 8 informatics classes which includes 15 minutes for practicing virtual reality games.

Discussion: This study will determine whether the practice of virtual reality games in addition to the usual informatics classes contributes to elderly socialization. The evolution in socialization, the evolution of reaction time and performance in virtual reality games and the correlation of motor learning to socialization will also be investigated.

Inclusion criteria

• people aged over 60 years;
• both sexes
• spontaneously enrolled in the informatics beginner class for seniors of the Center of Reference for Elderly (CRI) in Ribeirão Pires

Exclusion criteria

• Less than 75% of frequency in the classes between the assessments;
• do not completion of the three moments of assessment;
• having motor impairment of the upper limbs or cognition impairment,which prevents them to practice the games.