Extended reality is starting to find a real place in dementia research and care. In this episode, host Dr Byron Creese is joined by David de Jong-Bambagioni, Dr Emilie Brotherhood, and Alice Rowe to explore how virtual, augmented, and mixed reality tools are being used in practice.

Together, they discuss how XR is helping to standardise cognitive assessments, simulate clinical environments, and support earlier and more accurate diagnosis. The conversation also looks at how immersive tools are being used to build empathy, giving clinicians and carers a better sense of what it might feel like to live with dementia.

The panel share examples from their own work, including virtual simulations to distinguish delirium from dementia, and digital environments designed to capture subtle behavioural changes in conditions like frontotemporal dementia. These approaches are opening up new ways to study cognition, behaviour, and patient experience in more realistic and scalable settings.

Alongside the opportunities, the discussion also addresses the challenges. From safeguarding wellbeing to avoiding bias in digital tools, the group reflects on what responsible use looks like, and why co design and inclusive development matter.

This episode offers a practical look at where XR is already making a difference, and where it might go next.

In this episode:

• How XR is being used in dementia research and care
• Using immersive environments for assessment and empathy
• Why co design and lived experience matter
• Virtual, augmented, and mixed reality explained simply
• Ethical risks and safeguards in vulnerable groups
• How researchers are moving into digital health
• Getting started with XR and finding collaborators
• Inclusion, global perspectives, and reducing bias

A transcript of this show, links and show notes and profile on all our guests are available on our website at https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk.

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