The investigators created a guided mindfulness intervention using low-cost VR (smartphones and Destek V5 headsets) for older adults with anxiety in Quito, Ecuador. This project is a collaboration between the Technology and Aging Lab at McLean Hospital and the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador. The investigators aim to recruit 90 older adults with anxiety from various outpatient settings in Quito. Participants will be randomized to either a control group or an intervention group.
The control group will receive weekly phone calls in which they are asked how they are doing over 10 weeks. Participants in the intervention group will receive 10 sessions of mindfulness using VR. The investigators will use the free "Sites in VR" app and select different nature scenes for each session.
The intervention consists of 10 sessions, each lasting 30 minutes. In each session, participants are fitted with a VR headset containing a smartphone running the Sites in VR app. The phone, placed in the viewing compartment of the headset, displays a nature scene chosen by the participant. Once participants have acclimated to the scene and understand how to look around (by moving their heads in different directions), the investigators will read a mindfulness script that includes a guided body scan and instructions to engage participants in experiencing the virtual nature scene using multiple senses.
The Ecuador team was trained by the McLean team on the specifications of the intervention, including reviewing the protocol and resolving any problems encountered during administration. The mindfulness sessions will be recorded with video and audio for quality control and supervision to ensure consistency in implementation.
