A Virtual Dementia Tour provides the opportunity for caregivers and healthcare providers to experience a simulated reality of what life is like for someone with dementia. It is a unique learning experience that builds empathy and awareness in individuals caring for people living with dementia. The PAAD2 study recently connected with Abbotswood at Irving Park, a senior living community in Greensboro, NC, to learn more about this program.
Abbotswood at Irving Park is partnered with Second Wind Dreams to perform Virtual Dementia Tours. They invited Sam DuBois, a PAAD2 Team Member and PhD candidate in the Kinesiology Department at UNCG, to attend a Virtual Dementia Tour where she was taken on a journey into the world of someone living with dementia. Sam was asked to share a little bit about her experience participating in the Virtual Dementia Tour.
When I arrived, I was provided with goggles, headphones, shoe inserts, and gloves to wear throughout the simulation. The simulation temporarily alters your physical and sensory abilities to replicate the physical, mental, and emotional challenges that those living with dementia may experience on a daily basis. The goggles blurred my vision to replicate macular degeneration because individuals with age-related macular degeneration are at an increased risk of developing dementia. The headphones played loud auditory stimuli that made it difficult to hear the people around me and impaired my ability to think clearly and focus. The shoe inserts replicated neuropathy by causing tingling sensations that made it uncomfortable to walk. The gloves were oversized with some of the fingers sewn together which made it challenging for me to execute fine motor skills.
Once I had all the equipment on, I was guided to a room and given further instructions to complete a list of everyday tasks. The experience of trying to complete the tasks that I did not fully understand while my physical and sensory abilities were severely altered was extremely disorienting and frustrating. My vision was impaired which made it difficult to see my surroundings clearly and I struggled to pick up objects because of the gloves I was wearing. At one point I stood still for several minutes and kept looking around the room in the hope that I would see something that would make things easier.
This simulation was designed to provide caregivers, loved ones, educators, and researchers with a better awareness and understanding of what life is like for people living with dementia. The simulation lasted about 15 minutes and I found myself feeling frustrated during that short amount of time. Dementia patients don’t get to remove goggles, headphones, shoe inserts, or gloves after 15 minutes. This experience helped strengthen my awareness of the difficulties experienced daily by someone with dementia.
The Virtual Dementia Tour by Second Wind Dreams is an in-person experience led by certified trainers. The purpose of the program is to learn how to communicate and interact more effectively with people living with dementia. If you are interested in participating in a Virtual Dementia Tour at Abbotswood at Irving Park, please contact Victoria Evans at victoria.evans@kiscosl.com or Jody Clayton at jody.clayton@kiscosl.com; the program is currently available at no charge and open to the public. If you are not in the Greensboro area, Second Wind Dreams offers the Virtual Dementia Tour Family Edition for purchase.