Human-computer interaction approaches for the assessment and the practice of the cognitive capabilities of elderly people

The cognitive assessment of elderly people is usually performed by means of paper-pencil tests, which may not provide an exhaustive evaluation of the cognitive abilities of the subject. Here, we analyze two solutions based on interaction in virtual environments. In particular, we consider a non-immersive exergame based on a standard tablet, and an immersive VR environment based on a head-mounted display. We show the potential use of such tools, by comparing a set of computed metrics with the results of standard clinical tests, and we discuss the potential use of such tools to perform more complex evaluations. In particular, the use of immersive environments, which could be implemented both with head-mounted displays or with configurations of stereoscopic displays, allows us to track the patients' pose, and to analyze his/her movements and posture, when performing Activities of Daily Living, with the aim of having a further way to assess cognitive capabilities.