NCT07835568Not yet recruiting
Thrive at Home: A Virtual Reality Social Intervention for Older Adults
Improving Mental Health and Social Connectivity for Older Adults Through Virtual Reality-Based Social Interventions
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 25 Sept 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether a virtual reality (VR) based social platform can improve mental health and social connection for older adults who receive in-home care. Specifically, the study aims to determine if the VR program reduces loneliness, depressive symptoms, and boredom while increasing social connection and well-being among older adult participants. It also explores whether access to the VR program reduces caregiver burden and depressive symptoms for family caregivers. Researchers will compare an immediate-start group to a waitlist control group to assess whether the VR program improves outcomes compared to standard home care alone. Both groups will eventually receive the intervention. Older adult participants will use a VR headset at home to join group activities three times a week. These sessions include social activities with local peers and live-hosted group activities. A family caregiver or home care professional may be present during sessions if needed for support. Over a 12-week study period, older adult participants will complete three surveys assessing their mood, social connection, and well-being. Family caregivers of participating older adults are also invited to join an optional caregiver substudy. Caregivers who enroll in the substudy will not participate in the VR activities themselves, but will complete three surveys at the same time points over the 12 weeks to share their own well-being and caregiving experiences.
- Status (registry)
- Not yet recruiting
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 250 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 16 Sept 2026
- Start date
- Oct 2026
- Primary completion date
- May 2028
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, Santa Barbara
- Diseases
- Alzheimer disease
- NCT number
- NCT07835568
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Planned participants: 250
- From Oct 2026 to the primary completion date, May 2028
- No sites listed in no country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Other illness
- History of severe motion sickness or vertigo.
- History of seizures or epilepsy.
- Total vision loss not overcome by VR, or uncorrected hearing impairment that makes group conversation impracticable.
Other
- PRIMARY PARTICIPANTS (OLDER ADULTS):
- Frequent and distressing hallucinations.
- Aphasia or other communication barriers preventing verbal participation.
- Severe disorientation or delirium.
- Frequent and severe outbursts or emotional dyscontrol, or frequent and severe aggressive tendencies. (Typical sundowning is not exclusionary.)
- Residence in a senior living community or other congregate housing.
- Presence of a harmful, aggressive, or abusive relationship with a family caregiver living in the home.
- FAMILY CAREGIVERS (OPTIONAL SUBSTUDY):
- Presence of an aggressive or abusive relationship with the enrolled primary participant.
Who the study is looking for
- PRIMARY PARTICIPANTS (OLDER ADULTS):
- Aged 65 years or older.
- Living in a private residence and receiving home care services from a participating provider, with services expected to continue for the duration of the study (approximately 4 months).
- Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score of 12 or above.
- Fluent in English, sufficient to participate in group virtual reality (VR) sessions and complete verbal surveys.
- Adequate vision and hearing to complete surveys and engage with VR experiences (mild impairments acceptable if corrected).
- Has a family caregiver or home care professional available to support them at every VR session if the MoCA score is below 18 or the participant cannot physically manipulate the headset independently.
- FAMILY CAREGIVERS (OPTIONAL SUBSTUDY):
- Aged 18 years or older.
- Identifies as the primary family caregiver for an enrolled primary participant (living with or visiting the primary participant at least twice per week).
- Fluent in English and able to complete online surveys on a personal digital device (e.g., smartphone, laptop, tablet, or computer).
Age in the registry: 65 years to - · Sex: All · Accepts healthy volunteers
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.