Embodied Labs is an immersive training platform developed for education within the healthcare industry. Specializing in patient empathy training and elderly care, students can participate in immersive virtual reality scenarios split between shorter digestible learning modules where they can embody their patients living with a variety of health complications and see life and healthcare through the patient's unique social and cultural lens.
Experiences Available
Information was taken from the Embodied Labs Website
Alfred - Macular Degeneration
The learner will embody Alfred, a 74-year-old African American man with macular degeneration and high-frequency hearing loss as he spends time with family, visits the doctor, and receives a diagnosis. As Alfred goes about his daily life, the learner will understand how deficits in hearing and vision affect communication and impact emotional wellbeing.
[2 Modules, ~15 minutes total]
Beatrice - Progressive Alzheimer's Disease
The learner will embody Beatriz, a middle-aged Latina woman as progressive Alzheimer’s Disease causes changes in her brain. From the onset of symptoms to late stage disease and the transition to residential care, the learner understands the profound effect Alzheimer’s has on daily life, from processing and cognition to relationships and emotional wellbeing.
[3 Modules, ~24 minutes total]
Clay - Terminal Lung Cancer | End of Life
The learner will embody Clay, a 66-year-old veteran with stage IV, terminal lung cancer as comes to terms with the reality of his diagnosis. Clay transitions to hospice care and, as he enters the final stage of life, the learner understands the importance of clear, compassionate communication about end-of-life decisions and about what to expect in the final days.
[3 Modules, ~21 minutes total]
Dima - Lewy Body Dementia & Parkinson's Disease
The learner will embody Dima, a Lebanese-American immigrant living with symptoms of both Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinson’s Disease as she transitions from life at home to a residential community. Through her experience, the learner will be able to identify the differing symptoms of these two conditions and how to manage care as symptoms evolve.
[3 Modules, ~29 minutes total]
Eden - LGBTQ Healthcare
In the first module, the learner will embody Eden, a trans woman, and experience a series of personal encounters throughout the lifespan that are typical, defining moments of many transgender older adults living today. In the second module, learners will embody Eden as she engages with other members of the LGBT community, and also have the opportunity to jump into the perspectives of other LGBT older adults who identify as LGBT to explore the topics of homecare, healthcare, family, and housing.
[2 Modules, ~34 minutes total]
Frank - Social Isolation
The learner will embody Frank, a 72-year old Caucasian man, beginning a few months after his wife’s passing. As Frank attempts to navigate his new way of life, the learner will experience destructive impacts of social isolation and understand how it can overlap with loneliness, negative or absent family relationships, poor health, lack of access to transportation, and inability to access community services.
The third module allows learners the opportunity to embody Frank in the same storyline, but this time experience how with the proper support, Frank can have better health, connect with his family and community, and find more purpose and meaning in his life.
[3 Modules, ~28 minutes total]
Elderly Safety and Well-being
Caregiver Burnout
Recognize signs of burnout, understand the associated risks to caregiver and care recipient, and identify available resources for support. Experience boredom and helplessness as you embody Hazel, a 75 year old woman living with severe chronic pain and early stage dementia.
[1 Module, ~7 minutes total]
Intervention and De-escalation
Embody Abby, a lead nurse’s aide who faces a sensitive situation involving her resident, Heloise. Observe a potentially abusive situation, determine how best to keep an elder safe, and experience a confrontation with a challenging family member.
[1 Module, ~5 minutes total]
Trauma-Informed Care
Embody Harold, a veteran with an extensive history of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Experience PTSD flashbacks and associated anxiety symptoms, identify common triggers and self-regulating practices.
[1 Module, ~7 minutes total]
Customer Service
Becoming a team
Embody Hector, an inexperienced caregiver, during his orientation process in a long-term care community. Experience supportive and unsupportive co-worker interactions and identify ways to build trust and respect with your teammates.
[1 Module, ~7 minutes total]
Personalized Care
Embody Melanie, a nurse’s aide supporting Magda. Magda is an elder with mid-stage dementia who is in constant motion. Melanie’s priority is keeping Magda safe and happy. Experience communication challenges and identify successful approach techniques for meeting Magda’s unique needs.
[1 Module, ~5 minutes total]]
Problem Solving
Embody Gloria, a 75-year-old woman living in a senior community. Gloria has mobility issues and is confined to a wheelchair. It takes two staff members to transfer her. Experience vulnerability and anxiety as you rely on others for basic human needs and identify ways to preserve dignity through collaborative problem-solving.
[1 Module, ~7 minutes total]
Home Health Assessments
Embody Natalie Ramos, a new social worker going out on her very first solo home visit to Rosie. Learners must draw on their foundational knowledge of the Five Domains of Well-Being (Social Connectedness, Stability, Safety, Mastery, Meaningful Access to Relevant Resources) to identify environmental red flags, make choices to conduct an effective interview, and evaluate Rosie’s decision-making capacity.
[1 Module, ~9 minutes total]
Incorporating Embodied Labs in Your Courses
Embodied Labs is an excellent education tool when utilized with a thoughtful approach to planning and student scheduling.
Location & Equipment
Embodied Labs class sessions are faculty lead but TLi tech supported and held in the FIT Studio (Solano 1201) between our 3 Virtual Reality stations running Oculus Headsets and specialized hand tracking technology for total student immersion.
Scheduling Structure
We recommend scheduling students in groups of 3, depending on the class size, and total timing can vary based on which Embodied Labs experiences are chosen. Most of the experiences last about 20 to 30 minutes per student. Most class sessions are split between multiple days depending on class size and studio availability.
Planning with TLi Staff
Interested in running Embodied Labs with your classes? Schedule a VR Onboarding Consult with one of our helpful TLi staff members and get assistance with scheduling and planning. We encourage all faculty to come in and experience the impact of Embodied Labs experiences before running them with live classes to better understand the learning potential.