Eight adults aged ≥65 years at risk for dementia (AD8 Dementia Screening Interview score ≥1 [7]) and 8 young adults (aged 18-30 years) completed a single-session virtual meal-preparing task, developed in Unity 3D (2022 LTD version; Unity Technologies; Figure 1). Seated participants wore an HTC Vive headset and used wireless hand controllers. To assist navigation, 3D cues (eg, a stovetop) were placed. Personalized training sessions were provided to reduce usability barriers. The task involved 5 sequential steps engaging goal-setting, working memory, planning, visuospatial functions, and memory—mimicking a real-world kitchen. Task completion time, errors, motion sickness [8], simulator sickness [9], acceptability (Likert ratings on headset comfort and instruction clarity), and self-efficacy were compared across groups to understand older adults’ ability to engage in VR. Given the small sample, we report descriptive statistics to summarize outcomes.

A 1-hour community engagement studio (CES) was held at a community center with 16 older Black/Hispanic adults. The project lead hosted an information session to invite participants and delivered a 10-minute, jargon-free presentation outlining the design and goals of the proposed intervention. A bilingual facilitator guided a prestructured discussion to obtain feedback on the study’s significance, recruitment strategies, eligibility criteria, and duration. Responses were documented in real time and thematically coded by 2 investigators to identify key insights.

Ethics approval was obtained from the institutional review board of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York (2023-14856). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to enrollment. Participant confidentiality was maintained through the use of deidentified data.

This pilot study provides preliminary evidence supporting the feasibility of a virtual meal-preparing task in older adults. While older adults required more guidance, they completed the task in <4 minutes and reported high self-efficacy. The CES allowed us to obtain valuable, community-driven insights to improve recruitment, adherence, and delivery of the proposed intervention.

Prior VR interventions lasting 6 to 12 weeks (2-3 sessions/week; 30-45 minutes each), have shown cognitive benefits in older adults [2,3]. Our findings support progressing toward a similar structure, informed by user data and local community input. The brief training period was crucial in optimizing task completion and building confidence. The absence of simulator sickness—likely due to the seated setup and spatial cues—supports our safety approaches. Minor headset discomfort highlights the need for lighter headsets in future studies. CES insights reaffirm the value of involving community experts early in research development to enhance relevance and effective delivery.

Limitations include the small sample and single-session format, restricting statistical inference and long-term cognitive outcome assessments.

These findings directly informed the next phase of our intervention while highlighting the promise of developing community-informed VR interventions for older adults.