Front Aging Neurosci. 2014 Mar 24;6:54. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2014.00054. eCollection 2014.

Recommendations for the use of Serious Games in people with Alzheimer's Disease, related disorders and frailty.

Robert PH1, König A2, Amieva H3, Andrieu S4, Bremond F5, Bullock R6, Ceccaldi M7, Dubois B8, Gauthier S9, Kenigsberg PA10, Nave S11, Orgogozo JM12,Piano J13, Benoit M14, Touchon J15, Vellas B16, Yesavage J17, Manera V14.

Author information

• 1EA CoBTeK/IA, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis Nice, France ; Centre Mémoire de Ressources et de Recherche, CHU de Nice Nice, France.
• 2EA CoBTeK/IA, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis Nice, France ; Alzheimer Centrum Limburg, School of Mental health and Neurosciences, Maastricht University Maastricht, Netherlands.
• 3Centre INSERM U897-Epidemiology-Biostatistics, University of Bordeaux, ISPED Bordeaux, France.
• 4Inserm, UMR1027 Toulouse, France ; Université de Toulouse III, UMR1027 Toulouse, France ; CHU de Toulouse, Service d'épidémiologie et Santé Publique Toulouse, France.
• 5EA CoBTeK/IA, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis Nice, France ; INRIA - STARS - Sophia Antipolis France.
• 6Kingshill Research Centre Swindon, UK.
• 7Centre Mémoire de Ressources et de Recherche CHU de Marseille, France.
• 8CMRR CHU de Paris, IM2A, INSERM, UMR-S 975 (ICM) Paris, France ; Hôpital La Salpêtrière, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6 Paris, France.
• 9McGill Centre for Studies in Aging Verdun, QC, Canada.
• 10Fondation Médéric Alzheimer Paris, France.
• 11pRED, Neuroscience, Roche, Centre Mémoire Basel, Switzerland.
• 12Centre Mémoire de Ressources et de Recherche, CHU de Bordeaux Bordeaux, France.
• 13Centre Mémoire de Ressources et de Recherche, CHU de Nice Nice, France.
• 14EA CoBTeK/IA, University of Nice Sophia Antipolis Nice, France.
• 15Centre Mémoire de Ressources et de Recherche, CHU de Montpellier Montpellier, France.
• 16INSERM UMR 1027, Gerontopole, CHU Toulouse Toulouse, France ; INSERM UMR1027, Université de Toulouse III Paul Sabatier Toulouse, France.
• 17Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Health Care System Palo Alto, CA, USA ; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford University Stanford, CA, USA.

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease and other related disorders (ADRD) represent a major challenge for health care systems within the aging population. It is therefore important to develop better instruments to assess the disease severity and progression, as well as to improve its treatment, stimulation, and rehabilitation. This is the underlying idea for the development of Serious Games (SG). These are digital applications specially adapted for purposes other than entertaining; such as rehabilitation, training and education. Recently, there has been an increase of interest in the use of SG targeting patients with ADRD. However, this field is completely uncharted, and the clinical, ethical, economic and research impact of the employment of SG in these target populations has never been systematically addressed. The aim of this paper is to systematically analyze the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) of employing SG with patients with ADRD in order to provide practical recommendations for the development and use of SG in these populations. These analyses and recommendations were gathered, commented on and validated during a 2-round workshop in the context of the 2013 Clinical Trial of Alzheimer's Disease (CTAD) conference, and endorsed by stakeholders in the field. The results revealed that SG may offer very useful tools for professionals involved in the care of patients suffering from ADRD. However, more interdisciplinary work should be done in order to create SG specifically targeting these populations. Furthermore, in order to acquire more academic and professional credibility and acceptance, it will be necessary to invest more in research targeting efficacy and feasibility. Finally, the emerging ethical challenges should be considered a priority.