Co‐designing a virtual reality social connecting space for older adults living with dementia

Abstract Background Older adults living with dementia often experience reduced social connectedness and must be supported to enhance or maintain their social connections. Digital technology is increasingly being used to address this area. In particular, virtual reality (VR) has shown promising benefits for sociability despite not being designed for this purpose. Research has highlighted the need to design social VR spaces which can enable multi‐user experiences to foster social connectedness. Such a design process needs to meaningfully involve older adults living with dementia and their support persons from the outset. Methods Action research was used to co‐design a VR social connecting space for older adults living with dementia. The research aimed to explore one’s experience and perception of social connectedness and how VR may be used to help older adults living with dementia stay socially connected. Using participatory methods of data collection, older adults living with dementia and their support person had the opportunity to use a VR technology probe and participate in a series of semi‐structured interviews, group meetings and design workshops. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze transcripts alongside observational field notes taken by the researcher. The findings from each phase of data collection were used to inform subsequent research activities. Results The meaning and importance of social connectedness is dynamic and transient. Older adults living with dementia experience several barriers and facilitators to social connectedness and their support person often plays an important role in maintaining existing connections. VR was considered a novel and enticing technology to enhance and maintain one’s connections. Older adults living with dementia and their support person expressed preferences for shared experiences and these were translated into the virtual environment (VE). Design preferences to facilitate co‐location and co‐presence in the VE were also integrated into the social connecting space. Conclusion VR was considered an enticing technology to enhance or maintain the social connectedness of older adults living with dementia. Older adults living with dementia and their support person contributed to the design decisions which shaped the development of the social connecting space.