Serious Games for Seniors With Dementia: A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Dementia presents a growing global health challenge, with current treatments offering symptomatic relief but no cure.
• Non-pharmacological interventions, including serious games, are increasingly explored for managing dementia.
• Existing treatments for dementia often involve side effects and do not halt disease progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and impact of a 10-week serious games intervention on individuals with mild to moderate dementia.
• To assess the effects of serious games on motor function, cognitive abilities, quality of life, and depression.
• To determine the potential of serious games as a complementary therapy for dementia.

Main Methods:

• A 10-week intervention study involving 61 participants with mild to moderate dementia (35 completed).
• Participants engaged in six serious games designed for physical and cognitive training.
• Outcome measures included assessments of motor function (dynamic balance), cognitive performance, quality of life, and depression levels.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements were observed in dynamic balance (p = .013) post-intervention.
• No statistically significant changes were found in other measured outcomes, such as cognitive function or quality of life.
• The study demonstrated the feasibility of implementing serious games in this population.

Conclusions:

• Serious games are a feasible intervention for individuals with mild to moderate dementia, particularly for enhancing motor functions like balance.
• The 10-week intervention duration may have been insufficient to yield significant improvements in cognitive function and quality of life.
• Recommendations include longer intervention periods and personalized game design to maximize the benefits of serious games for dementia patients.