Geriatrics

These days, healthcare professionals are faced with various and complex problematics. Indeed, elderly people often have mood disorders (depression, anxiety disorders, sleeping disorders). Somatic problems can be worsened by these different troubles (chronic pain, health issues). Cognitive fall, with or without pathology, lived by the elderly patient exacerbates behavioral disorder and a loss of autonomy. Virtual reality is a non-medicines alternative to take care of cognitive disorders and work on their mood. This will offer them better living conditions without any risks linked to psychotropic drugs.

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VIRTUAL REALITY IN SENIORS’ SERVICES

More than ever, in geriatrics, it’s major to make therapeutic application treatments evolve. Retirement homes facing ethical dilemmas have a lack of alternative solutions. Virtual reality is a smart solution to therapeutics limits. Science and technology are combined to create non-medicine treatments, and gives a great interest in geriatrics. It’s actually the most promising alternative therapy. Researchers and clinicians are excessively enthusiastic about this technology in the aging process.

Applications presented in C2Care solutions are made thanks to collaborative work between our engineering team and our medical partners. Our medical team is composed of geriatric doctors, neuropsychologists and psychiatrists specialized in geriatrics. For retirement homes, C2Care is the new therapeutic solution. Easy to use and very intuitive, our software has been thought to be used for elderly people who are losing their autonomy. Healthcare professionals won’t have any issues using the software, and the software will be helpful to create new medical and social activities.

What’s in the retirement homes pack ?

To answer to seniors’ needs, many therapeutic software can be found in the pack:

  • Cognitive stimulation
  • Qualitative neuropsychological evaluation
  • Relaxation
  • Behavioral activation


Integrating virtual reality as a therapeutic solution and animations’ facilitator in your residents daily life is possible with these applications. You can also create group sessions with our multiple-headset solutions, to create a group dynamic in virtual reality (cognitive stimulation, relaxation…). Finally, virtual reality therapies really are non-medicine therapies.

VIRTUAL REALITY AND SENIORS : FEASIBILITY, EFFICIENCY AND THE SCIENCE'S EYE

Developing a project based on retirement homes was essential : geriatrics has a lack of efficient tools to answer cognitive, emotional and behavioral falls on elderly people.

Nowadays, many medicines are used in cognitive fall care. But working with other types of approaches will be helping to work on different multifactorial aspects. This is why non-medicine therapies are highlighting researchers and clinician’s interest. Virtual reality gives an innovative and promising alternative to regular therapies.

The scientific research validates the elderly people’s acceptability to virtual reality but also spotlight its efficiency in the aging process and in the end of life process. So, we have developed our software based on existing significant studies.

What are the studies saying ?

Authors working on new technology and health have found significant results. For example, Gracia-Betances (2015), have highlighted some qualities about using virtual reality with patients :

  • Accessibility
  • Sensorial use
  • Sharp treatment of cognitive functions
  • Direct feedback
  • Therapeutic engagement improved
  • General improvement of life conditions


Optale (2010) has proved virtual reality efficiency in the improvement of elderly people’s memory abilities. Man (2011) has attestated these results as well with more informations. Wallet and al. (2011) are seeing virtual reality as a useful tool for skills generalization. Recently, D’Cunha has valorised virtual reality as a facilitator to improve senior’s life conditions and the cognitive fall.

By developing our software for retirement homes, more than ever, we wanted to give seniors the possibility to be treated with non-medicine therapies.

SENSORIAL STIMULATION IN VIRTUAL REALITY

Physiology and behavioral work

Studies show that using Snoezelen in geriatrics is efficient on the physiological part (Bailly & Pointereau, 2011) and on psychobehavioral part (Andreeva & al., 2011). After a snoezelen session, elderly people are more stressless and calm.
Letting go of negative emotions is helped by the fact that the cardiac rhythm and the blood pressure decrease. Agitation, aggressivity and anxiety are decreasing with the Snoezelen technique.
The most vulnerable residents can use it too : being immersed in their own space will make them feel reassured and with the desire to share their experiment.
Also, for people with communications skills, it’s easier to discuss with caregivers or surroundings. Snoezelen gives the desire to go back on doing things again.

Psychogeriatrics

Van Weert & al (2005) have analyzed records of videos of snoezelen patient’s first experience up to 18 months

What are the long term effects ?

Many significant effects can be seen on long-term :

  • Number of smiles and verbal exchanges rise
  • Autonomy feeling
  • Fall of angriness and reprobations


This non-medicine approach as a therapeutic approach give a smart and economic program. With this innovante alternative, resident’s life conditions and caregivers’ functions are increased. Therefore, the communication between caregivers and residents (oral or not) is clearly better.

Mutual calm

Sensorial stimulation can be, for example, realized before washing your patient to be done in a calm atmosphere. Showering and other treatments are easier and more fluid. Resident’s behavioral modification obviously has an impact on caregiver’s daily life in retirement homes : Relaxed residents are making calm caregivers. This improved communication gives a satisfying relationship, and creates a new complicity. Indirectly, Snoezelen gives better working conditions.

C2CARE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

C2Care also has a scientific committee and partnerships. Each expertise guides our virtual reality environments’ creations. Our software has been thought to be easily used for the patients and for the caregivers. Software included in the retirement homes usually don’t need the use of the remotes to make it easier for people with motor or practice disorders. Moreover, the headset can be independently used. That’s why, it easily can be carried and used from a patient to another, without any computer’s need.

Cognitive Stimulation

Cognitive, memorial and practical stimulation can be done with C2Brain’s games. Virtual reality games offer a ludic aspect and increase motivation to encourage their activites implication.

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Neuropsychological evaluation

C2Neuro is composed of supermarket ecological environments. It would be possible to stimulate cognitive abilities such as memorisation, orientation but also practical capacities.

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Reminiscence

C2Custom and C2Maps are software made to customize the care given to elderly people by importing new environments. This way, it’s possible to make the resident go back to different places or events to work on reminiscence or on the positive aspects of their souvenirs.

DISCOVER C2custom

Relaxation

C2Hypno is composed of many relaxing environments. In these environments, you’ll find two types of snoezelen’s room depending on the session’s goal. C2Hypno are recreating an atmosphere to put the person’s in a state of relaxation and calm. In another perspective, these environments give a multi sensorial stimulation (auditive, visual and sensitive).

DISCOVER C2hypno

Do you need further information or have any specific questions ?

FAQ

Virtual reality (VR) is an innovative technology that enables patients to be exposed to immersive and controlled environments, facilitating the management of numerous psychological and psychiatric disorders. Its use in mental health offers several advantages:
  • Gradual and Controlled Exposure: VR allows patients to confront anxiety-inducing situations in a secure environment, gradually adjusting the intensity of stimuli to promote habituation and emotional regulation.
  • Realistic and Reproducible Environments: Unlike traditional techniques, VR provides immersive scenarios that can be consistently reproduced, ensuring a coherent and effective approach.
  • Increased Patient Engagement: The interactive and immersive nature of VR enhances treatment adherence and motivates patients to continue their therapy.
  • Personalized Treatment: Virtual environments can be adapted to meet the specific needs of each patient.
  • Versatile Applications: VR is used to treat anxiety disorders (phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorders), addictions, mood disorders, and even cognitive remediation.
The use of virtual reality in healthcare is not new! It has been studied and utilized for over 30 years in the medical and psychological fields. As early as the 1990s, researchers began exploring its potential for treating anxiety disorders, particularly phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder. Since then, numerous scientific studies have confirmed its effectiveness in addressing various psychiatric, neurological, and cognitive disorders.
Today, VR is widely integrated into therapeutic and medical practices, with clinically validated protocols. It is used in hospitals, clinics, and psychologists' offices worldwide to provide patients with innovative, effective, and safe treatments.
To use virtual reality, one must immerse themselves in a virtual environment. There are several ways to achieve this.
In the past, the CAVE system (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment), a 3D setup consisting of multiple screen walls, was the primary method used. This system allowed users to be fully immersed in the virtual world, with their movements detected in real-time. However, this technology was expensive and not widely accessible.
Since around 2016, with the introduction of virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, VR has become much more accessible. These headsets immerse users in virtual reality through an enclosed screen that projects digital images. The user's head movements are tracked, enabling them to look around and interact with the environment as they would in the real world.
Today, VR headsets are wireless and standalone, providing maximum comfort and ease of use without requiring external sensors or cables.
A virtual environment is an immersive digital simulation created through virtual reality. It allows users to navigate in a 3D space that accurately replicates everyday situations or specific contexts.
In mental health, these environments are designed to help individuals gradually face certain situations, manage their emotions, or enhance cognitive skills. By interacting with these virtual spaces, patients can engage in meaningful experiences tailored to their needs.
You need to equip yourself with a virtual reality headset. Our software is compatible with Meta Quest 2, 3, and 3S. 
You will then only need an internet connection. 
Numerous studies confirm that virtual reality is safe to use. However, some restrictions are in place to protect users from potential adverse effects.
For instance, individuals with epilepsy and pregnant women should avoid this type of therapy.
As with any immersive technology, prolonged use may cause visual fatigue or mild discomfort, particularly for those sensitive to motion sickness. Therefore, it is recommended to take regular breaks and adjust session durations according to individual needs.
Virtual environments are designed to be gradual and controlled, minimizing the risk of excessive anxiety. Most users quickly adapt to immersion and experience the benefits of this innovative approach from the first sessions.
Anxiety disorders and phobias can be effectively treated using virtual reality. Patients are gradually and progressively exposed to anxiety-inducing situations in various environments while remaining in a safe space. This process helps develop a sense of habituation, ultimately reducing or even eliminating anxiety over time.
Behavioral and substance addictions can also be addressed through virtual reality. By incorporating synthetic stimuli into the environments that trigger craving responses, patients struggling with addiction can work on their cravings to diminish the urge to consume.
Additionally, multiple environments—such as bars, casinos, and social settings—enable cognitive work on dysfunctional beliefs associated with specific temptation scenarios.
Regarding eating disorders, virtual reality software helps target key etiological factors, such as body dysmorphia, allocentric lock (a tendency to focus on others rather than oneself), and food cravings.
Currently, our TERV (Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy) solutions include multiple software programs designed to address critical psychiatric, psychological, and neuropsychological determinants such as relaxation, cognitive stimulation, behavioral activation, and social skills training.
Reminiscence therapy is also a major therapeutic tool in treating depression. By allowing patients to relive sensations linked to past pleasurable activities (such as sports, driving, or traveling), virtual reality stimulates hypoactive brain areas, enhancing therapeutic success. VR serves as an excellent mediator for reigniting engagement in enjoyable activities.
Moreover, cognitive stimulation for elderly individuals is another area where virtual reality proves beneficial. By leveraging technology to make stimulation activities more engaging and accessible, patients and nursing home residents can improve executive functions and memory through specially designed applications.
Today, virtual reality in mental health care is advancing rapidly. Researchers, clinicians, and developers continue to explore new therapeutic targets to offer innovative and effective treatment solutions in the near future.
VR can be used by all healthcare professionals assisting patients with anxiety, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorders, addictions, or other psychological challenges.
It is particularly beneficial for psychologists, psychiatrists, neuropsychologists, specialized nurses, as well as psychomotor therapists, physiotherapists, dietitians, sophrologists, and hypnotherapists. With a wide range of immersive environments, VR enhances therapeutic approaches and provides innovative tools to improve patient care.
Healthcare providers incorporating virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) expand their range of treatment options. VRET is a well-established therapeutic technique with scientific validation from cognitive-behavioral therapy research.
  • Professional Differentiation: Integrating VR into practice allows therapists to stand out from traditional treatment options.
  • Scientific Validation: VRET is backed by extensive research, reinforcing its credibility as an effective treatment method.
  • Improved Patient Engagement: The interactive nature of VR fosters greater patient involvement in therapy.
  • Time-Saving: VR provides direct access to various exposure environments without needing external logistics.

One of the considerable advantages of virtual reality is that it is effective on a wide spectrum of populations. Existing data from the literature on the subject shows us that it is entirely possible to expose a wide age group to virtual reality, with real therapeutic benefits.

The studies attest, in fact, to excellent feasibility and significant results; particularly in adults, in the treatment of anxiety disorders (including school phobia), autism, addictions, eating disorders, neuropsychological disorders, psychotic disorders and mood disorders.

The results are identical for adolescents with a significant added value concerning therapeutic engagement where virtual reality promotes adolescents' interest in their therapy.

Among elderly subjects, study results encourage the use of virtual reality with the aim of working on cognitive stimulation, on behavioral disorders but also on anxiety.

One of the major advantages of virtual reality is its effectiveness across a broad spectrum of the population. Existing literature on the subject shows that virtual reality can be used with individuals of various age groups, providing significant therapeutic benefits.
Studies confirm excellent feasibility and significant results, particularly among adults in the treatment of anxiety disorders (including school phobia), autism, addictions, eating disorders, neuropsychological disorders, psychotic disorders, and mood disorders.
The results are equally promising for adolescents, with a notable advantage in terms of therapeutic engagement, as virtual reality enhances their interest and participation in treatment.
For older adults, research supports the use of virtual reality to improve cognitive stimulation, behavioral disorders, and anxiety management.
However, people with epilepsy and pregnant individuals are not advised to undergo this type of therapy.
Yes, all our environments are grouped within a single application.
Our technical support team is available Monday to Friday, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM and 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM (Paris time), at technical@c2.care
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