TY  - JOUR
AU  - Goodall, Gemma
AU  - Ciobanu, Ileana
AU  - Taraldsen, Kristin
AU  - Sørgaard, Jon
AU  - Marin, Andreea
AU  - Draghici, Rozeta
AU  - Zamfir, Mihai-Viorel
AU  - Berteanu, Mihai
AU  - Maetzler, Walter
AU  - Serrano, J Artur
PY  - 2019
DA  - 2019/8/19
TI  - The Use of Virtual and Immersive Technology in Creating Personalized Multisensory Spaces for People Living With Dementia (SENSE-GARDEN): Protocol for a Multisite Before-After Trial
JO  - JMIR Res Protoc
SP  - e14096
VL  - 8
IS  - 9
KW  - dementia
KW  - emotions
KW  - technology
KW  - multimedia
KW  - eHealth
AB  - Background: The number of people living with dementia is rapidly increasing. With dementia’s impact on memory, communication, and self-identity, it is important to identify ways of meeting individual needs of diagnosed individuals and their caregivers. This study will test a new intervention, SENSE-GARDEN, that integrates autobiographical music, films, pictures, and scents with innovative technology to create an immersive environment tailored specifically for the individual. Objective: The SENSE-GARDEN study is an Active Assisted Living Program–funded multicenter project. The primary objective of the study is to assess whether a personalized, innovative technology-based intervention can improve the well-being of older adults living with moderate to severe dementia. The study will also assess whether the intervention can improve coping and reduce burden in caregivers. Methods: A controlled before-after study design will be used. There will be 3 sites in 3 trial countries: Belgium, Norway, and Portugal. A total of 55 people with dementia (PWDs) will be recruited. All eligible participants for the study will be randomized into the intervention or control group. For the first three months of the study, all participants will receive the SENSE-GARDEN intervention. For the final month of the study, the intervention group will continue visits to the SENSE-GARDEN, and the control group will discontinue visits. A mixed-methods approach will be used, including the use of standardized outcome measures, quantitative physiological data, and qualitative interview data. Results: The trials commenced recruitment in August 2019, and all data are expected to be collected by the end of May 2020. A user-centered design process is underway, with results from the first phase of user interviews indicating that people with mild cognitive impairment, family caregivers, and professional caregivers consider the SENSE-GARDEN to be a potentially valuable tool in providing numerous benefits to dementia care. Feasibility testing of the SENSE-GARDEN has been completed and results are expected to be published in October 2019. Conclusions: Findings from the SENSE-GARDEN trials will provide insights into the use of technology for personalizing interventions to the PWD. This will have potential implications on not only dementia research, but it may also have influences on care practice. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/14096 
SN  - 1929-0748
UR  - https://www.researchprotocols.org/2019/9/e14096
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/14096
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31538942
DO  - 10.2196/14096
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/14096
ER  -