UBC IDEA Lab

YouTube video by Being Patient Do Robots Have a Role in Life With Dementia?

@nurselillian.bsky.social #nursesky and UBC IDEA Lab patient partner Mario Gregorio recently joined Mark Niu @beingpatient.bsky.social to chat about how #SocialRobots like PARO and LOVOT are transforming #DementiaCare. Check it out:

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

New article alert!
How can music & co-leadership reshape dementia care?
We share insights from a 12-week community ukulele program co-led by a person with dementia, centering equity and inclusion.
Read the full article here: 🔗https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21501319251360518

MIVE Lab at #AAIC25!
👂👁️👃 The Sensory Health and Cognition ISTAART PIA hosted a workshop on hearing, vision & smell in cognitive impairment with Natalie Phillips, @walterwittich.bsky.social, Carrie Nieman, Marilyn Reed & more.
🕶️ @jennycampos.bsky.social also spoke on VR/AR & aging w/ Dr. Lillian Hung

Promotional graphic for the UBC IDEA Lab July 2025 Newsletter. Yellow background with an envelope icon and a “Subscribe Now” button.

Our July 2025 newsletter is out now! If you haven’t already, subscribe to stay in the loop with UBC IDEA Lab team spotlights, project updates, upcoming events, and more: eepurl.com/ilKMy6

Frontiers | Engaging community to co-design learning health systems: lessons from storytelling and Design Jam, a community case study from British Columbia, Canada Health and research systems produce vast amounts of data, yet only a fraction is used to improve healthcare delivery—especially for equity-deserving communit...

Check out this new community case study led by our PhD student Margaret Lin on using storytelling and #DesignJam workshops to co-create #LearningHealthSystems. Read here:

Dr. Lillian Hung speaking on stage at a podium labeled “AAIC 25,” with a large presentation slide behind her titled “Co-Create VR with Indigenous.” The slide includes a photo of a totem pole and a bulleted list outlining the goals of co-creating VR content with Indigenous older adults.

Dr. Lillian Hung and Dr. Jennifer Campos smiling and posing together in front of a tall purple sign that reads “AAIC 25, ISTAART, Technology and Dementia” at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2025 preconference venue.

This past Saturday, @nurselillian.bsky.social shared our co-created VR project for Indigenous older adults at the Technology & Dementia Preconference of @alzassociation.bsky.social #AAIC2025. Honoured to see our inclusive innovation in dementia care represented on the global stage.

TV program helps dementia patients remember simple tasks Researchers at VCH are using video technology to help evoke memories in dementia patients. Cecilia Hua reports.

Our TV study was featured on @citynewsvancouver.bsky.social today! @nurselillian.bsky.social @agingsmart.bsky.social shared how calming, familiar videos can help people living with dementia remember everyday tasks like drinking water. Watch the segment:

Exploring the neighbourhood physical environment’s role on the walking experience of people living with dementia and mild cognitive impairment The number of persons living with dementia is increasing globally, and many of whom live in community settings. The neighbourhood environment has an i…

🚶‍♂️What makes a neighbourhood walkable for someone living with dementia?

Our new study with colleagues from @sfu.ca and UNBC explores how built environment shapes everyday walking experiences for people living with dementia in Metro Vancouver.

Have you heard about our EMPOWER Framework?
This collaborative reflection with patient partners centers lived experience and advances equity through research, policy, and care.
Take a look here: www.frontiersin.org/journals/dem...
#DementiaVoices #EMPOWERFramework #HealthEquity #CoResearch

UBC IDEA Lab Presents: Research Day & Indigenous VR Storytelling Exhibit Discover Indigenous VR storytelling and interactive research exhibits at the IDEA Lab Research & Exhibition Day!

Join us Wednesday, Aug 13 for our IDEA Lab Research Day & Indigenous VR Storytelling Exhibit at the Paetzold Theatre (Vancouver General Hospital)! @nurselillian.bsky.social @agingsmart.bsky.social @vchhealthcare.bsky.social

Free event with lunch provided—RSVP now:

We are thrilled to highlight the fantastic work and photos from Dr. Lillian Hung and the UBC IDEA Lab in our latest report! @idea.nursing.ubc.ca

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Fresh off the press—new paper led by PhD candidate Karen Wong and @nurselillian.bsky.social explored how dementia-friendly videos can support the psychosocial needs of people with moderate to severe dementia in care settings. Check it out: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Reflexive case studies on conducting technology implementation research in long-term care homes - Lillian Hung, Joey Oi Yee Wong, Haniya Bharucha, Lily Haopu Ren, Charlene Chu, 2025 Background Technological advancements offer the potential to address healthcare challenges, such as improving residents’ quality of life in long-term care homes...

New paper 🚨 We reflect on the messy realities of doing tech implementation research in long-term care settings from coast (BC) to coast (ON). With @ubc-vnursing.bsky.social & @uoftnursing.bsky.social:

A critical reflection of an intergenerational, student-led team bringing social robots and research to older adults in the community Knowledge translation and exchange to promote the health and well-being of older adults requires collaborative relationships between researchers and knowledge users. Students are uniquely positione...

Our intergenerational, student-led team @ubc-vnursing.bsky.social reflected on bringing LOVOT social robots into community spaces with older adults. Read our critical reflection in Gerontology & Geriatrics Education via @tandfresearch.bsky.social:

Appreciate the correction!

Jeffrey Wong and Arwen Fong present at the Northwest Robotics Symposium, with a large slide behind them titled: “They’re so cute that you wanna hug them”: Perspectives of older adults, people living with dementia, and their carers on LOVOT in LTC.

Jeffrey Wong and Arwen Fong presenting at the Northwest Robotics Symposium at Simon Fraser University. A laptop is open in front of them with an SFU sign on the lectern.

Wrapped up our #NWRS2025 presentation on LOVOT in LTC—honoured to share voices of older adults, people living with dementia, and their carers. Thank you to Arwen for being a wonderful co-presenter, @idea.nursing.ubc.ca for the support, and SFU Computing Science for hosting.

Mario Gregorio, a smiling older man wearing a cap and striped shirt, stands at a podium holding a microphone. Beside him is Dr. Lillian Hung, also smiling, in a pink blazer and glasses. They are co-presenting at the 2025 West Coast Conference on Aging.

They’re presenting now! @nurselillian.bsky.social and Mario are live at the West Coast Conference on Aging, sharing considerations for using social robots and digital innovations for connection.

@nurselillian.bsky.social and patient partner Mario Gregorio are speaking at 10am on “Social Robots & Digital Innovations to Promote Social Connection” at Day 2 of PHC’s West Coast Conference on Aging:

Join us today at the Northwest Robotics Symposium #NWRS2025 at SFU Harbour Centre—catch all four of our presentations on social robots in long-term care!
Full schedule: nwrsymposium.github.io

Title slide for a UBC IDEA Lab presentation at the at the Northwest Robotics Symposium 2025 by Jeffrey Wong, Arwen Fong, and team titled “They’re so cute that you wanna hug them”: Perspectives of older adults, people living with dementia, and their carers on LOVOT in LTC. An orange LOVOT robot graphic is shown on the right.

I’ll be presenting on the #LOVOT social robot with the UBC IDEA Lab (@idea.nursing.ubc.ca) team at the Northwest Robotics Symposium at SFU Harbour Centre later today—it’s a free to attend so come say hi if you’re around!

Dr. Lillian Hung and Dr. Jim Mann, a patient partner living with dementia, standing in front of their poster on improving dementia care transitions.

Joey Wong and Mario Gregorio, patient partner and dementia advocate, in front of posters on co-designed ukulele classes and age-friendly UBC initiatives.

We’re at the West Coast Conference on Aging @providencehealthbc.bsky.social today sharing work on dementia care transitions, community ukulele classes for people living with dementia, and building an age-friendly institution grounded in lived experience.

Screenshot of the Bluesky Alt Text Rating tool showing results for the account @idea.nursing.ubc.ca. The tool analyzed 22 of our posts, 8 of which contain images, and all 8 have alt text. The final score is 100.00% with a smiling face emoji. A gauge graphic at the bottom shows the score in the green zone, indicating excellent performance.

Alt text matters—just like centring lived experience in #DementiaResearch. Proud to say 100% of our image posts include alt text.

Dr. Lillian Hung, Canada Research Chair in Senior Care, speaks at a podium during the CIHR Institute of Aging Summer Program in Aging 2025 in Toronto. A large screen behind her displays a slide featuring two smiling family partners and co-researchers, Bubli Chakraborty and Lynn Jackson.

Proud to see our team at the CIHR-IA #SPA2025 in Toronto this week, where @nurselillian.bsky.social joined Bubli Chakraborty and Lynn Jackson to share how co-research with people living with dementia can advance equity in aging.

Aging study recruitment poster

Help us to spread this invite of aging study to Canadian older adults #UBC @idea.nursing.ubc.ca @ubc-vnursing.bsky.social

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Our new study looks at how AI tools like ChatGPT are reshaping learning for nursing students—and what that means for ethics, critical thinking, and practice:

YouTube video by AGE-WELL AGE-WELL EPIC Conference 2025: Staying Connected

At #AWepic2025, Dr. Jim Mann (patient partner living with dementia) and PhD student Lily Haopu Ren shared lessons from Canada 🇨🇦 & the Czech Republic 🇨🇿 on implementing VR in long-term care.

Watch (starting at 27:44):

Inspired and fired up to do more #CGNA2025 so lovely to catch up with students, friends and colleagues. Geronures rock. Thanks @cgna

Just published🚨 Our protocol for an ongoing scoping review focused on exploring best practices for co-designing virtual reality with Indigenous peoples. Check it out:

Home - UBC IDEA Lab IDEA Lab would like to acknowledge that we are situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people.

Thanks for sharing, @builderlibrarian.bsky.social! If you ever want to learn more about our projects, feel free to visit our website:

Joey Wong stands smiling beside a large academic poster titled “Staff retention among long-term care staff: A qualitative study” at the CGNA 2025 conference. The poster summarizes key themes like relational joy in caregiving, respectful workplace culture, and opportunities for professional growth.

Joey Wong stands at a podium presenting a slide titled “Co-Creating a Virtual Reality Program With People Living With Dementia in Long-Term Care.” The slide shows logos from UBC, SFU, the University of Waterloo, CGNA, and the MGNA, and includes a photo of an older adult wearing a VR headset.

Joey Wong, our PhD student at UBC Nursing, presented two projects at #CGNA2025 in Winnipeg—one on co-creating VR with people living with dementia in long-term care, and another on what helps staff stay in the sector 🥳👏🏼