More than 80 years ago, George Orwell wrote his first book, a memoir called Down And Out in Paris and London. It chronicled his life on the margins of society where he lived in poverty in these two cities by adopting the life of a tramp — or in modern terms, an indigent man. Written as an investigative exploration, Orwell immersed himself in a world he did not know so he could write authentically about an experience other writers had only observed.
Flash forward to today where more than 42 million Americans caring for a loved one over age 50 are also living on the margins — as an overwhelmed, overlooked part of our society. Family caregivers and their charges often feel all alone. Many believe that those who are not sick or have not provided care for an ailing or frail parent, spouse or other loved one, really cannot relate to the emotional roller coaster that has become their life.
Technology is about to change this lack of understanding.
Entering the World of Another
In 2016, one of the biggest trends in technology was the consumer realization of virtual reality (VR) — the ability to become immersed in another world. Soon, VR may not only create empathy for family caregivers and their loved ones but also a better health care system.
The applications for VR are endless. The United Nations has created a virtual reality experience of virtually dropping participants into a Syrian refugee camp. Google used VR to have wounded veterans who could not participate in Veteran’s Day parades experience these events in real-time from their homes. And a major pharmaceutical company uses VR to show how a mother now understands how her migraine-suffering daughter feels.
This type of app is not only informative for family and friends but vital for health care professionals as well. — Dr. Leslie Saxon, University of Southern California
In fact, one of the biggest opportunities for virtual reality is in health and medicine, and especially in how to understand the issues of an aging population and those who care for them.
A Virtual Reality App About Aging
Imagine becoming a 74-year-old African American man with high frequency hearing loss and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), common health issues as we age. This is exactly what Embodied Labs, a Chicago-based start-up created by four Millennials, did with their Alfred Lab app.
The app won the top prize last year in the University of Southern California’s Center for Body Computing (CBC) annual VR hackathon competition. Judges were impressed with the app’s thoroughly informative look at a day in the life of “Alfred,” including interaction with his doctor, his family and others. (Disclosure: Sherri Snelling works for Keck Medicine of USC where the center is located.)
The power of being able to experience exactly what Alfred does is now made real for those who have only observed, studied or read about these conditions. For instance, as a viewer wears the virtual reality goggles, his or her eyesight is blighted by a dark spot in the middle of the visual field simulating AMD. The visual impairment makes eye contact, communication and simple tasks difficult.
“The Embodied Labs team took us on the type of experiential ride that makes VR the ultimate medical empathy machine,” said Dr. Leslie Saxon, founder and executive director of the USC CBC. “This type of app is not only informative for family and friends but vital for health care professionals as well. It will change how we treat patients by providing an immersive experience that creates emotional intelligence and ultimately more compassionate care.”
See students using the app in the video below.
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Source: Nextavenue