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Improving quality of life for institutionalized individuals with advanced dementia: A pilot study on efficacy of a semi-immersive virtual reality driving simulator for individuals with advanced dementia
Seyedsaber Mirmiran, Zahra Moussavi. Displays, 2025-08-12
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
• A novel semi-immersive VR driving simulator (VRDS) for institutionalized older adults with advanced dementia. • The VRDS integrates realistic driving with a virtual environment to stimulate implicit memory and improve cognitive function. • Statistical analyses indicate improvements in game and mood scores over repeated sessions. • The system’s performance logging provides objective measures of implicit learning and motor adaptation in advanced dementia. • The logging system offers a practical alternative to standard cognitive assessments in advanced dementia. A popular new technology to be used to design serious games is virtual reality (VR). Besides gaming applications, the focus of VR experiments in medicine and neuroscience is to simulate a naturalistic environment to investigate brain function, cognitive training and/or improving one’s quality of life. This study aims to investigate the impact of a Semi-Immersive Virtual Reality Driving Simulator (VRDS) specifically tailored for institutionalized individuals with advanced dementia, on its potential to improve implicit cognitive performance and emotional well-being. The designed VRDS was installed in the physical car model available at the Alzheimer’s unit of the Riverview Health Centre (RHC). To create a semi-immersive environment, the laptop screen was projected onto the front window of a physical car model. The virtual environment features a country road includes traffic sounds as well as incoming cars. Ten residents of RHC with advanced dementia used VRDS over a four-month period 3–5 times/week. Data collected included the time spent in the game, crashes, braking responses to traffic lights and stop signs, and mood and behavior assessments using the Mood Assessment Questionnaire (MAQ). Quantitative and qualitative observational data were analyzed for any statistical differences. The daily MAQ filled by the participants’ health-worker aids, showed mood improvements during the VRDS usage. Their driving performance indicators demonstrated implicit memory improvement evidenced by a decrease in total crashes and an increase in the game score. The VRDS demonstrates potential as an effective intervention for improving cognitive and mood in individuals with advanced dementia. Future research should explore the sustainability of the positive outcomes after long-term usage of the technology.
Key findings
- Their driving performance indicators demonstrated implicit memory improvement evidenced by a decrease in total crashes and an increase in the game score.
Why it matters
This small pilot study found that a virtual reality driving simulator was linked to improved game and mood scores over repeated sessions in people with advanced dementia. It is preliminary and does not show that this approach prevents or cures dementia.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 30/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Displays) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Displays: journal h-index 87 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 1 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 0 / 5 | 0.3 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 1 / 6 | Cited 0.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 1 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Zahra Moussavi: h-index 35 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | University of Manitoba: institution h-index 666 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 30 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Mirmiran, S., & Moussavi, Z. (2025). Improving quality of life for institutionalized individuals with advanced dementia: A pilot study on efficacy of a semi-immersive virtual reality driving simulator for individuals with advanced dementia. Displays. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.displa.2025.103182
Vancouver
Mirmiran S, Moussavi Z. Improving quality of life for institutionalized individuals with advanced dementia: A pilot study on efficacy of a semi-immersive virtual reality driving simulator for individuals with advanced dementia. Displays. 2025. doi:10.1016/j.displa.2025.103182.
BibTeX
@article{mirmiran2025-940f3080,
author = {Mirmiran, Seyedsaber and Moussavi, Zahra},
title = {{Improving quality of life for institutionalized individuals with advanced dementia: A pilot study on efficacy of a semi-immersive virtual reality driving simulator for individuals with advanced dementia}},
journal = {Displays},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1016/j.displa.2025.103182},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.displa.2025.103182}
}
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