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Salient Cues and Wayfinding in Alzheimer’s Disease Within a Virtual Senior Residence

Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: Wayfinding is a problem for persons with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), especially in complex environments such as senior residential communities. In this study, persons with AD or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and a control group of older adults were asked to find their way in a virtual reality simulation of a senior residential community. Subjects had to find their way repeatedly over multiple trials for two consecutive days in standard (no extra cues) and salient (colorful, memorable cues placed at key decision points) cue conditions. The results showed that there was a significant interaction among group, day, and trial (F (8, 987) = 8.049; p < .0001 indicating that the subjects in the control group found their way faster over days and trials in both cue conditions when compared to the AD/MCI group. The control group found the goal significantly more often (M = 16.1, SD = 2.23) than the AD/MCI group (M = 6.45, SD = 5.43); t (68) = 25.806, p < .001. There was an interaction among cue condition, day, and trial; F (4, 986) = 2.534, p = .039, with subjects finding the goal location the fastest in the salient cue condition. Both groups had more goal acquisitions and a faster time to acquire the goal in the salient cue condition when compared to the standard cue condition. The study results indicate that individuals with and without AD/MCI can find their way more often when virtual environments are enhanced with salient environmental cues. Funded by the NIH: 1R15AG37946-1A1
DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igx004.3496
Language: English
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,977
OpenAlex ID: W2724491457
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