Research

What is the Role of Virtual Reality in Supporting Dementia Caregivers? 

Summary: 

This webinar will provide an overview of the caregiving/care partnering role, in the context of caring for persons living with dementia, and the impact on the carers' health and wellbeing. Dr. Mary Chiu will review evidence-based interventions and training programs currently available to support carers for different aspects of this demanding role. She will introduce virtual reality as a technological tool, and its usefulness in supporting individuals in different roles and life circumstances, including dementia caregiving. 

Finally, Dr. Chiu will introduce a study, for which she is co-Principal Investigator with Dr. Amer Burhan, titled "Dementia Caregivers Skill Training Through Virtual Reality Simulation (VR-SIM Carers)". This study is inviting people to participate in a project designed to adapt a caregiver training program for dementia onto a Virtual Reality (VR) platform. 

You will have the opportunity to ask questions. 

About the Presenter: 

Dr. Mary Chiu holds a PhD from the University of Toronto. She is a Research Scientist at Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, an Adjunct Professor at Ontario Tech University, and an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto. 

Dr. Chiu's research interests focus on the psychology of older adults with respect to social interactions and the concept of psychological resilience in the context of infomal caregiving and dementia. Her primary research aim is to identify factors that promote resilience and effective coping for this population. In addition, her work aims to identify components of group psychotherapy programs that make them effective in addressing complex needs and challenges of informal carers caring for someone living with dementia. 

For more information on the studies:  
https://tdn.alz.to/research_study/virtual-reality-vr-training-program-for-dementia-caregivers/ 

Email for more information:  
@email 

Presented by:
David Rudoler, PhD
Chair of Population Health and Innovation in Mental Health
Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences

Learning Objectives:

1. Overview of age-period-cohorts modelling
2. Demonstration of application of age-period-cohort models to questions in health services research
3. Report findings from age-period-cohort model of physician services data and implications for health human resource policy

Thursday, April 14, 2022
11:00 am – 12:00 pm