Evaluation of a rail-travel simulator for elderly adults with cognitive disorders. The Grand-Via Project, a travel therapy pilot study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Travel therapy can reduce anxiety symptoms in elderly adults with cognitive disorders. The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the use of a rail-travel simulator in this purpose. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was a prospective, single centre cohort survey. Our study population consisted of persons either from the nursing home, the cognitive and behavioural unit or the day-care centre of our university hospital. Participants were accompanied on a virtual trip using a film projection in a replica of train compartment. Participants were interviewed before and after each session using a short questionnaire developed by a multi-disciplinary team. RESULTS Forty-two participants performed sessions. While only 58.3% of the participants reported being relaxed before the session, this rate increased significantly to 87.5% by the end of the trip. A majority of participants gave their personal impressions and half of the group reported memories evoked by the experience. CONCLUSION The majority of elderly persons who completed the virtual trip replied positively about the experience. We need now to confirm the efficacy of our simulator using a randomised controlled trial.