Is adding tangible augmentation contributing to virtual sensory engagement of people with dementia? Assessment on user engagement, agitation, and apathy

The conceptualisation and deployment of immersive sensory environments for therapeutic purposes have attracted a growing interest within the field of dementia care. In contrast to virtual immersions, tangible augmented virtual experiences offer a promising avenue to foster the self-engagement of people with dementia (PWD) through intuitive and multisensory interactions. However, empirical exploration of the added value conferred by tangible augmentation in such contexts remains limited. To address this, we investigated the impact of adding tangible augmentation in virtual sensory engagement, analyzing its influences on user engagement, agitation, and apathy. A field experiment was conducted with 15 residents diagnosed with dementia using mixed methods of video coding analysis and observational rating scales. Two experimental conditions (with and without tangible augmentation) and one control condition were adopted. The experimental findings highlight the significant role of tangible augmentation in enhancing engagement in terms of ‘attention’ aspects while enabling the recollection of memories through verbal communication. The findings also indicate a trend to promote positive emotions and reduce apathetic behaviours by adding a tangible layer to the virtual sensory experience. This study advances the understanding of tangible augmentation's role in influencing cognition and perception aspects of PWD's engagement and contributes to a more informed design of future immersive sensory technologies.