EmpowVR

Empowerment of family caregivers - innovative training of caregiving activities using virtual reality (VR) simulations

In Germany, more than 76% of those in need of care are cared for at home by relatives, outpatient care services or a combination of both, with two-thirds of these being cared for exclusively by relatives.

People in need of care with complex care needs should also be supported in being able to manage their everyday lives independently for as long as possible. Family caregivers play an important role in this, but often rarely take advantage of help despite the heavy physical and psychological burden. This is particularly the case with training courses for relatives. Instead of empowerment and self-management, these often focus purely on imparting knowledge, the aim being to develop competencies that enable caregivers to solve any problems and perform care activities independently.

Based on our previous experiences in the xR-Skills-Lab project, VR simulations for different care scenarios in the outpatient sector will be developed and evaluated. The simulated care activities take into account current care processes and different patients in need of care, e.g. dementia or stroke patients.

https://imtt.hs-furtwangen.de/imtt/portfolio/empowvr/

• Project duration 02/2022 - 03/2023
• Research theme Society, Health, Sustainability
• Research Institute Care & Technology Lab