The Resanté-vous research and innovation team experimented with Lumeen in three nursing homes in Charente and issued an experiment report. We reveal the main conclusions to you!

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‍Who is Resanté-Vous?

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Get healthy Is a socially useful solidarity company specializing in human and non-drug approaches to gerontology.

On the one hand, their rehabilitation and prevention team supports nursing homes, SAADs and communities to support the autonomy of elderly people. On the other hand, their research team develops social innovation projects for actors in the silver economy. This double competence allows them to know precisely the realities on the ground and to support the creation of innovative products and services. So we were very curious to know the results of their Lumeen Experiment Report!

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We thank Frédérique Bunlon, Research & Innovation Officer at Resanté-vous and Doctor in STAPS, specialized in cognitive psychology, who coordinated the report. Thanks also to Guy Le Charpentier, Associate Director of Resanté-vous, who supervised this project, as well as to Floriane Peuch and Noélie Guilhot. Both occupational therapists, they work daily in nursing homes in order to improve the quality of life of elderly people. They supported the use of Lumeen in the three nursing homes concerned and collaborated in the drafting of the report.

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The Details of the Experiment

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Objectives of the Experiment

First of all, the objective of this experiment was for Floriane Peuch and Noélie Guilhot to be able to test and have Lumeen virtual reality tested by residents of nursing homes. The aim was to observe the benefits of its use, the positive points, but also the possible points of improvement. Frederique Bunlon states: “Through this experiment, we wanted to observe the effect of Lumeen (...) on residents, but also the impact of such activity on the “professional” practice of therapists, and finally the possible impacts observed on healthcare teams.”.

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Process of the Experiment

Where and when?

43 Lumeen virtual reality workshops were carried out over a period of more than 3 months, between October 2020 and January 2021 in 3 different nursing homes: the EHPAD André Compain in St Michel, the EHPAD Les Charilles in Roumazières and the EHPAD Habrioux in Aigre.

It is interesting to note that these sessions were carried out, in a classical unit and in a protected unit, in various places within the establishments such as the common room, the living room or the corridor. This aroused the curiosity of some seniors and professionals, who came to test the tool for themselves!

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Who?

The experiment was carried out with 39 residents. The average age was 87 years. 67% were women and 32% were men. 64% of the participants had cognitive disorders and 54% had motor difficulties. Finally, 38% were wearing glasses. All residents have completed at least one session and some have completed several sessions.

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Frédérique Bunlon tells us: “The residents' choice was based on their desire to test the tool. We proposed to a very diverse audience, in terms of age, cognitive, motor disorders, etc. in order not to be limited to the most able-bodied people.”

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How?

To produce this report, the occupational therapists, during and after each session, completed questionnaires that were then sent to the researcher F. Bunlon for analysis.

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The Results of the Experiment

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The Return of Seniors to Nursing Homes

The report concludes: “All the scores obtained are positive, the residents generally liked Lumeen.” The results show that 77% of participants accepted and underscored the wearing of helmets, despite a majority of people with cognitive disorders. Among the people who experienced the helmet well:

• 64% of the testers enjoyed the activity and 33% loved it.
• 84% of testers would like to do it again and 13% are eager to do it again.
• 62% of testers say they are more alert than before the session.
• 47% believe that the workshop has fostered their social relationships.
• 100% say they are comfortable with the helmet and find the design nice.

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The Feedback of the Experimenters

The feedback from the experimenters is also positive. The Report Mentions a “Good dynamic, relaxing moment with the residents that allows some to open up and talk about themselves”. Occupational therapists indicate a real usefulness of the tool in calming and supporting elderly people, with and without cognitive disorders. They also emphasize that they enjoyed supervising the activity, which has a positive impact on their professional practice. Finally, they say they found the tool easy to use.

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The opinion of nursing home staff

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Regarding the Interest of Having Lumeen at the Establishment

The report highlights that professionals are “Unanimous as to the beneficial interest of the tool among residents. The majority of the feedback indicates the pleasure felt thanks to the possibility of being able to escape, the link with their memories, and the possibility of using the tool despite age, disability, etc.”

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Regarding the impact that residents have felt since experiencing Lumeen

These returns are also all positive: “Let us underline here the desire of several professionals to have the tool at their disposal within the establishment in order to offer it to residents as well as to professionals.”

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Regarding the quality of life at work for caregivers

Lumeen has also been tested with caregivers. The report explains: “Given the current situation linked to COVID-19, we felt real suffering among professionals in the face of this current situation.” The experimenters therefore decided to offer Lumeen to caregivers. The results were conclusive: “Relaxation of tone associated with a resting posture for all participants. Absence of anxiety. Positive reactions. The participants felt relaxed and had the impression that they had cut a bit off the rhythm of the complicated daily routine in view of the current health situation.”

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Conclusion

We are delighted with the conclusions drawn by the report: the feedback from all the testers is positive! It shows that Lumeen is of interest in nursing homes, both for elderly people and for professionals. It allows a different and innovative approach for seniors, even for those with cognitive disorders.

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The interest for families of seniors was also emphasized: “Lumeen can be a suitable way to offer a shared activity between residents and families. Indeed [...] many families find themselves helpless in the face of a loved one who is mute, apathetic or even has memory problems. These families lack sharing with the resident. We think that conducting an escape session together could be an adapted, shared activity, a moment of pleasure and relaxation between these people.”

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Of course, we also take note of the areas for improvement proposed by the report, such as the idea of proposing exercises to stimulate movement during the Escape. We are continuing our research to offer an ever more complete solution adapted to the needs of the elderly and other elderly groups.

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We will therefore conclude with a big thank you to the entire Resanté-vous team, to the establishments and their staff who opened their doors to Frédérique, Floriane and Noélie as well as to all the testers for their positive feedback. Let's end with the words of a resident said during the experiment, which warmed our hearts: “Some people have good ideas, all you have to do is compliment them! ”. Thanks!