FrailtySIM 1.01

FrailtySIM is a Virtual Reality-based educational tool designed to enhance awareness and understanding of frailty, as well as foster empathy for those affected by the condition.

Approximately half of the population aged 65 and over in the UK are estimated to experience some degree of frailty, totaling around 6 million individuals. Of these, approximately 2 million require assistance with daily activities. FrailtySIM seeks to illuminate opportunities for improving the quality of life for this population.

The platform offers access to three VR scenarios:

• Become Victor: Based on a character named Victor, this scenario allows users to experience life from the perspective of an older person living with frailty. It simulates vulnerabilities related to mobility, vision, hearing, and cognition, illustrating the functional challenges associated with aging.
• Being Jane: Designed to develop observational skills, this scenario tasks learners with identifying key cues in Victor’s environment to understand his priorities, mental state, potential risks, and sources of resilience within his home setting.
• Walking through Frailty: Users can select levels of frailty—Fit, Mild, Moderate, or Severe—and compare how each impacts basic daily task performance. This offers insight into the types of support most relevant at various stages of frailty.

The integration of VR technology enhances sensory engagement and emotional connection beyond traditional educational methods. It facilitates a deeper understanding of the support and care required for older individuals living with frailty to remain active and autonomous.

Suitable for both individual and group learning sessions, the tool can be employed flexibly across different locations and times. Its design incorporates accessible software, affordable VR hardware, and straightforward supporting resources—making it a scalable solution for developing core competencies related to frailty care.

Victor’s narrative, combined with innovative VR technology, aims to deliver memorable learning experiences that:

• Increase awareness and comprehension of frailty as a long-term condition;
• Build empathy through immersive perspective-taking;
• Enhance observational skills for person-centred care;
• Highlight the interconnectedness of various aspects of an older person’s life and how different levels of frailty impact them;
• Encourage reflective thinking and behavioural change among learners.

FrailtySIM is part of the broader Frailty360 learning programme. Access key resources at www.frailty360.org.

Acknowledgements

We extend our gratitude to Victor and his daughter Kath for their collaboration during the development of FrailtySIM and related resources. Their willingness to share personal stories and allow their home environment to inform this project has been invaluable. Although the scenario is computer-generated, it is based on Victor’s recent lived experience. In recognition of his contribution and what's important to him, we donate £1 from each purchase to his chosen charity.

We also thank:

• Workforce development leaders in Nottinghamshire who initiated the Health Education England-funded Frailty Toolkit & Training programme in 2015, which supported prototype development;
• Virtual Reality Simulations Solutions for transforming ideas into functional software;
• The Ufi Charitable Trust for funding and support as part of the Voctech Seed 2016 project;
• A leading home care provider that contributed during user testing in the Voctech project;
• Over 2,000 users whose feedback has been instrumental in driving ongoing improvements.