VR Platform Trains Health Care Workers Caring for Dementia Patients.

VR startup Moonhub has launched an immersive VR platform used to train social and health care workers in caring for dementia patients.

Called Elara, the platform deploys a 360-degree, video-shot VR world to help professionals conduct enhanced patient care.

Moonhub’s researchers found that VR technology helps workers retain knowledge 75% more than online and class-based learners.

The course guides workers on how to better communicate or recognize distress. It also uses role play to train, such as helping dementia patents prepare for the day.

“The VR training places staff in realistic care scenarios to help them develop the skills and knowledge to prevent or reduce distress,” said Claire Surr, professor of dementia studies and director of the Centre for Dementia Research at Leeds Beckett University in England who helped develop the program.

“Research indicates experiential dementia training can help increase their empathy and understanding, potentially improving the quality of care staff deliver,” she said.

The course’s objective is to increase cognitive awareness, enhance technical skills, and teach care workers to have a better understanding of how to treat dementia patients.

More Confidence

Moonhub claims that VR learners are 275% more confident in using their new skills in real-world situations.

“This new system has the potential to revolutionize the training experience and offers an interactive and comprehensive approach to training and development,” said Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, the organization that oversees adult social care in England.

The low-risk VR training could also be more economical. Compared to traditional learning curriculum, the company claims the software platform could save organizations up to 64% at scale.

U.K.-based Moonhub has raised $2.6 million in seed funding with venture capital firm Pi Labs for VR product development.

This article first appeared in IoT World Today’s sister publication AI Business.