Alzheimer's Care in the Metaverse: A Collaborative Learning Experience Across Disciplines

Alzheimer’s and dementia related diseases (ADRD) are a fast-growing cause of death and disability in older adults worldwide (WHO, 2025) projected to increase to 13.85 million in the US by 2060 (Rajan, et al., 2021). It is imperative to prepare future healthcare professionals in interprofessional team-based care models to meet the complex needs of this growing population (Ibsen & Eriksen, 2022). Simulation through the metaverse provides the benefits of immersive VR with novel resolutions that overcome previously cited technological limitations (Zhang et al., 2022). With infinite space and avatar customization, learners can engage in team-based simulation anytime from anywhere using commonly accessible devices. The aim of this study is to understand learners’ reactions to the metaverse to assess the feasibility of implementation in IPE for ADRD care and other contexts.
The sample consisted of students from colleges of medicine, advanced practice nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, and public health at a private mid-sized university in an urban area in the NE US (n=36).
A team of interprofessional faculty members previously developed a three-part unfolding case study involving an individual with ADRD from diagnosis to advanced stage (Kates et al., 2021), which was used in the present study.
The lead faculty of the present study team created the virtual world in Unity®, which was then published in the metaverse platform Spatial®. The virtual world was created to represent each part of the case with a debriefing area for students and faculty.
Prior to the simulation, students reviewed online learning modules with educational materials related to caring for individuals and their caregivers with ADRD. In addition, three cases were described in detail. Students were assigned to an interprofessional team of 4-5 students with a specific role for each of the three cases. Students were oriented to the virtual world by faculty and staff and then guided through the experience by trained faculty facilitators. After the experience, a post-program evaluation was administered.
For this study, the response rate for post-program evaluation was 55.6% (n =20). The average total program evaluation score across six areas was 4.02 (SD = 0.62) out of a maximum of 5 points, indicating an overall positive learner experience. 75% of participants agreed or strongly agreed they were “fully able to immerse [themself] into the client or provider role in the simulation,” and 70% agreed or strongly agreed that “it was easy to navigate the virtual world.