Our Blog | IKONA Health

Why Virtual Reality is Advantageous for Healthcare Education in Children and Seniors

The United States has a health literacy problem, with 9 of 10 Americans struggling to understand and use health information. But this is not merely a macro health issue: low health literacy costs the U.S. economy up to $238 billion dollars per year.

The Neuroscience and Four Use Cases

For the past few years, we have been watching, and working to facilitate, the evolution of virtual reality (VR) in healthcare. We even built a Learning Hub on the IKONA Health website where we collect and curate peer-reviewed basic science research. In that time, we have witnessed the expansion of VR across healthcare as the number of use cases and success stories seemingly grow by the month, day, and experience.

Why Virtual Reality Provides an Ideal Tool for Kidney Care Education | Speeding the Time to Dialysis Modality Switch

Kidney disease ranks as the ninth leading cause of death in America. Approximately 20% of dollars in traditional Medicare—$114 billion a year—are spent on Americans with kidney disease. For patients who require dialysis, which typically happens when you have only 10 to 15 percent of your kidney function left, hemodialysis is the most common modality. In fact, approximately 90% of kidney dialysis patients are on hemodialysis in a hospital or dialysis center setting.

Using Virtual Reality to “Train for Retention” in Senior Care

Overview

Twenty-five percent of Americans are predicted to be 65 or older by 2030 (U.S. Census). The overwhelming majority of these baby boomers (approximately 90%) aim to age-in-place. Interestingly, these numbers drop significantly when physical and mental deterioration sets in. In a recent LeadingAge survey, 40% of baby boomers said they wanted to live somewhere other than the place they currently call home if they had a physical disability impacting their day-to-day lives, and 70% want to be in a staffed senior care facility if they have dementia and need help with daily activities. These statistics are telling and suggest a growing need for senior care professionals. Between 2016 and 2026, the direct care workforce is expected to grow from 4.4 million to 5.8 million--an increase of 30%. This places a heavy burden on staffed senior care facilities to recruit, onboard and train direct care workers to meet the complex needs of seniors.