National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) has designed a virtual reality (VR) course combined with aromatherapy to increase the well-being of elderly people, with the research results published in an international medical journal.
NTNU College of Education vice dean Guo Jong-long (郭鐘隆) on Tuesday said that the college launched the course to reduce stress among elderly people, and help address some of the nursing difficulties faced by long-term care facilities, such as insomnia and dementia.
The course allows people to play a game in which they can smell natural scents, Guo said, adding that the scents help stabilize emotions and ease discomfort.
Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
For example, players can experience picking oranges in an orchard or collecting resin from trees as the corresponding scents are released, he said.
Feedback from people who have participated in the course showed that as the game requires them to think, it can prevent dementia, while the immersive nature scenes made them want to experience the outdoors more, he said.
Some said that watering plants in the game gave them a sense of purpose and responsibility, while others said that they like learning how to use technology, as it helps them communicate better with younger people, the feedback showed.
The course and research findings have been published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, Guo said.
PureAroma Healing Academy principal Cheng Ya-wen (鄭雅文), who collaborated with NTNU on the course, said that initially, scents were delivered manually.
For example, when a player plucked lavender, an assistant would put real lavender under the player’s nose, Cheng said.
However, the method created delays, she said.
The upgraded version, dubbed the “VR 2.0 course,” uses a scent diffuser containing seven fragrances in front of the player.
It delivers the scent automatically when the player performs an action to trigger it, she said.
Children who lack family interactions have also taken the course, Cheng said, adding that such children often lack opportunities to experience nature, and the course instills confidence and optimism in them.
The university said its development team has promoted the course to students at New Taipei Municipal Fuhe Junior High School and signed an industry-academia cooperation project with Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital in Taipei.
NTNU College of Education dean Chen Hsueh-chih (陳學志) said that the course is an example of the university taking its social responsibility seriously and how its achievements in academia and practical fields are helping construct a more harmonious society.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
RSS