A virtual reality program helped 120 patients in 2024 at the Alcoitão Rehabilitation Medicine Center, 80% of whom suffered a stroke, revealed the director of the center’s Psychology department, António Fantasia.
Through the “Bateria Sistémica de Lisboa” application, at least 500 sessions were carried out to rehabilitate the cognitive abilities of users who suffered a Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA), António Fantasia told Lusa, on the occasion of the National Stroke Patient Day, which is celebrated today.
The psychologist explained that the program mainly works on attention, memory and executive functions (skills that control and regulate thoughts, emotions and actions in conflicts or distractions).
The director said that rehabilitation is done through immersive simulation of daily activities that the user can perform, indicated by a psychologist or by an avatar in the program, and in this version the professional is also present.
“The program simulates daily tasks such as getting dressed, choosing clothes, having breakfast, taking a shower, brushing your teeth,” listed the psychologist.
According to António Fantasia, the program also creates activities where it is possible to leave the house, go to the pharmacy, drive a car, go to the museum, play golf, among others, and has already been used by various age groups, from a 12-year-old child to older people, in their 80s.
Patient Paulo Pires used the program twice and confirmed to Lusa that the activities carried out stimulated his memory, especially the visual component. He also said that he made a cake and went to the grocery store to buy food, and he had to do calculations with the money he had available.
Patients use the program through virtual reality glasses or on a large television, using a mouse to control the screen.
Tasks performed through virtual reality allow the user to “identify with the daily reality they will encounter, which helps with adherence to the rehabilitation program,” said Antonio Fantasia.
In this way, in the director’s opinion, gains are obtained in carrying out these patients’ daily tasks, reducing the financial cost of having a professional accompanying them in these activities.
According to the psychologist, the program helps to cure cognitive losses as much as possible.
“It is not always possible to recover from injuries left by a stroke, but we know that there is an improvement through cognitive rehabilitation,” he explained.
António Fantasia also indicated that technology is a complementary tool to the rehabilitation program and that sessions generally last 30 to 45 minutes.
The creator of the “Lisbon Systemic Battery”, developed at the Lusófona University, Jorge Oliveira, said that the application is already used in other institutions, but only at the Alcoitão Rehabilitation Medicine Center, at the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (in the municipality of Cascais) is it used by patients who have suffered a stroke.
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