With funding from the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF), the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation (CABHI), and the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine, the Pain, Dementia & Virtual Reality Research Team is developing learning materials for friends and family members who care for people living with dementia. People living with advanced dementia may have difficulty understanding or answering common questions about pain. Caregivers play important roles in supporting pain self-management and treatment decision making. This multidisciplinary team, led by Dr. Susan Tupper, conducted interviews with people living with dementia and their family or friends who provide care for them. From these interviews they developed a “learning curriculum” that outlines the information about pain that people living with dementia and their family caregivers want to know or feel is important for others like them to know about pain. This research is ongoing. The team is CURRENTLY RECRUITING family caregivers and persons living with dementia to take part in Phase 2 of the research. This involves viewing and providing feedback on two virtual reality videos (pet therapy with horses, and Cranberry Flats). Participants will be provided access to a virtual reality headset to view the videos. Contact Dr. Susan Tupper at info@saskpain.ca to find out if you are eligible to take part in the study. Final results of the study will be shared on the SaskPain website and through other partnering community organizations like the Alzheimer’s Society of Saskatchewan and the Saskatoon Council on Aging. The team is partnering with Luxonic Technologies Inc. to create virtual reality videos to support recognition and management of pain for people living with dementia.

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