ADA’s new Enabling EDIE workshop uses VR technology to help bridge the gap, allowing us to experience first-hand the challenges people with dementia experience in day-to-day life.
Using a Virtual Reality (VR) application, people can now experience first-hand some of the problems faced by those with dementia.
As part of a three-hour workshop taught by the ADA, the Educational Dementia Immersive Experience (EDIE) sees participants putting on headsets and earphones that allow them to see and hear from the perspective of a male dementia patient in his early 60s who is being cared for by his wife; through scenarios of finding their way to the toilet in the early hours of the morning, they are able to empathise with the challenges that persons with dementia go through, and see how simple adjustments can improve the experience for them.
“Many people think that dementia is only memory loss and forgetfulness (but) there are other symptoms, such as loss of sensory and visual perception, resulting in them having difficulties identifying objects in familiar environments,” said ADA chief executive Mr Jason Foo.
The goal of the workshop is to enhance awareness of the impact of dementia and adopt reablement approaches that will improve the quality of life for persons living with dementia. Participants will also learn how to develop a dementia support plan that considers the perspective of a person with dementia. “We hope that this virtual reality platform will present a more effective way to help someone see through the eyes of a person with dementia, reduce the stigma, design and create care environments that are enabling, and better support the well-being of persons with dementia,” added Mr Foo.
