Effectiveness of virtual reality interventions on quality of life, cognitive function and physical function in older people with Alzheimer's disease: A systematic review

Abstract

This systematic review aimed to evaluate and synthesize the scientific evidence of virtual reality (VR) interventions on quality of life, cognitive function, and physical function in older people with Alzheimer's disease (AD). A systematic review search until March 2025 using seven generic databases: PubMed, EBSCOhost, CINAHL Complete, Cochrane, ProQuest, Scopus, and Web of Science. The PRISMA, RoB 2, and GRADEpro tools were used to assess the methodological quality, risk of bias, and certainty of the evidence.The protocol was registered in PROSPERO database, CRD42024629853. Of 3347 records identified across the databases, seven studies were analyzed using the PICOS format. This review included 517 older people with AD (mean age 76.5 years; 57.5 % female). Due to the heterogeneity of the assessment tools, a meta-analysis could not be performed. Although no consistent significant differences were found between the experimental and control groups, several individual studies reported improvements. Specifically, two studies showed improvements in quality of life and cognitive function, while three reported enhancements in physical function. The interventions included immersive cognitive training, exergaming, Kinect-based systems, and Physiomat platforms, with durations ranging from 4 to 16 weeks and frequencies of 2–5 sessions per week. Analysis of the reviewed studies suggests that VR interventions may benefit cognitive function, physical function, and, to a lesser extent, quality of life in older people with AD.