Each day, 59-year-old Annette Bullen of Caledonia, Ont., wears augmented reality (AR) glasses and spends about 15 minutes on exercises to improve mobility in her neck. Diagnosed in 2023 with a rare head and neck cancer, mucoepidermoid carcinoma, she was left barely able to move her head and neck after multiple surgeries and radiation. Her physiotherapist introduced her to the Augmented Reality Integrated Sensorimotor Exercise (ARISE) platform, which projects virtual objects into her real surroundings, guides her through exercises such as tracking a virtual orb through a spiral with her head and neck, and gives real-time feedback. Bullen says her range of motion has improved and that being able to exercise at home, or anywhere with Wi-Fi, keeps her motivated.
ARISE is one of a growing number of wearable AR tools used in physiotherapy and rehabilitation, including for mobility, balance and fall prevention in seniors. Stevie Foglia, founder and CEO of the McMaster University-based company Neuro-Mod Inc., began developing it in 2022 to treat chronic neck pain. An early study in older adults showed improvements in mobility, function and pain, and the team is now extending the technology to balance and fall prevention. Patients can view their own progress data, and clinicians can monitor progress remotely.
The article highlights why this matters for older adults. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations among people 65 and older, with fall-related injuries costing an estimated $5.6-billion in 2018. McMaster's Xiru Wang notes that behind these figures are people who may hesitate to leave home or question their independence, and Anita Gross, an associate clinical professor, says gamified training with target scores makes rehabilitation less boring and helps address the loss of motivation that undermines compliance.
Dr. Allison Sekuler of the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation at Baycrest says the convergence of AR, VR, AI, robotics and sensors with an aging population is producing "real innovation supporting older adults." She finds AR especially exciting because it adds useful information to the real world rather than shutting people off from it, and Dr. Foglia says AR avoided the nausea and vertigo seen with VR. Foglia's team is now working to get the technology into physiotherapy clinics.
Learn more: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article-how-augmented-reality-is-helping-patients-stay-motivated-for/
