Characteristics and Preferences Related to Using Virtual Reality Devices for Education of Families of Persons with Dementia: A Descriptive Study

Purpose: This study aimed to identify characteristics and preferences related to the use of virtual reality(VR) devices for the education of families of persons with dementia. Methods: Using a descriptive study design, an online survey was conducted for families of persons with dementia (N=136, mean age=48.14±10.4 years). Descriptive statistics, Pearson's x² test, and Fisher's exact test were calculated using SPSS 25.0. Results: Most families of persons with dementia used electronic devices proficiently at least to some extent (n=117, 86%). It was found that they were willing to use the VR-based education program with a certain degree of inconvenience (n=133, 97.8%). When participating in VR-based education programs, the most preferred device was open VR (n=77, 56.6%) followed by closed VR (n=42, 30.9%). The preferred training time for all four devices was around 20 minutes. There was a statistically significant difference between proficiency in electronic device use and gender (x²=9.11, p=.045), age (x²=19.83, p=.004), and educational background (x²=18.46, p=.007), whereas only gender (x²=12.17, p=.006) was a significant factor for a willingness to be inconvenienced to get educated using VR devices. In the case of the preferred interaction method, only gender (x²=10.08, p=.033) had a statistically significant difference. Conclusion: Families of persons with dementia had a positive intention to use VR-based education programs, regardless of age and educational background, even with the inconvenience. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic data for the production of VR-based education programs in the future.