Clinical Research Directory

Virtual Reality for Anxiety Management in Persons With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Sponsor: Horizon Health Network

Summary

Virtual Reality (VR) is gaining traction as a new and innovative leisure to augment healthcare services. Several benefits of the leisure experience, such as distraction and full sensory immersion, have demonstrated a potential to significantly impact the field of healthcare through pain reduction, anxiety reduction, and is seen as an innovative approach to motor learning. Persons with ALS (pwALS) have a high prevalence of anxiety over the course of their illness, which has a negative impact on their quality of life, and the quality of life of those closest to them. The use of VR for anxiety management and subsequent quality of life improvement has yet to be explored in the ALS population. For individuals with ALS, VR can be both (1) an escape from the reality of living day to day with a progressive fatal diagnosis; and (2) the opportunity to potentially improve anxiety, both of which are linked to the quality of life of individuals living with ALS. Our hypothesis is that a simple and accessible home VR-guided relaxation exercise program can improve subjective anxiety symptoms in a person living with ALS and subsequently improve quality of life.

Official title: Just... Breathe: Virtual Reality Guided Breathing Exercise for Anxiety Management in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

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