A Caregiver’s Inside Look at the Virtual Dementia Tour®

As a caregiver to someone with dementia, have you ever wondered what goes on inside your loved one’s head? How many times have you wished you understood their behaviors that baffle you? If you could just see what they see, maybe you could understand just how dementia affects their everyday life.

Fortunately, it is possible to go inside the mind of memory loss. Thanks to the Virtual Dementia Tour^®, family members can experience the symptoms of dementia for themselves.

“The Virtual Dementia Tour gives you a brand new perspective on what it’s like living with memory impairment,” says Heather Battey, Executive Director at amavida, a senior living community located in Fort Myers, Florida. “As caregivers, we can read all about dementia symptoms and behaviors, but it’s not always possible to fully imagine what it feels like to have the disease. The Virtual Dementia Tour makes that possible.”

What Is the Virtual Dementia Tour^® (VDT)?

The Virtual Dementia Tour is an experiential simulation of dementia. The tour was invented by P.K. Beville, MS, a specialist in geriatrics and the founder of the tour’s producer, Second Wind Dreams^®. Beville and associates used their research on dementia to design and patent sensory tools and experiences that would successfully simulate the sensations that a person with memory loss lives with every day.

When a participant begins the VDT, he or she is fitted with several devices to create the physical symptoms most dementia patients experience. Special goggles are worn to mimic the effects of glaucoma and cataracts. Latex gloves diminish the sense of touch in the fingertips, and fingers are taped together to make the hands clumsy and arthritic. Inserts are placed in the shoes to make it painful to walk. Lastly, headphones are worn that transmit static-like jabbering, a symptom described by many dementia patients.

Once the participant is fitted accordingly, they are taken to a room and given instructions by the facilitator to complete a few simple tasks, such as clear the plates from the table, match six pairs of socks, or find a jacket and put it on. Participants are given approximately 10 minutes to complete their tasks. However, with the distracting and somewhat troubling sensory stimulation, ten minutes is often not enough time to complete just one of these tasks.

Participants are quickly overwhelmed by the noise, the darkness and distortion from the goggles, and the frustration of pain and discomfort as they try to move around and use their hands. With all that’s going on, it’s hard to remember what they’re supposed to do. The complication of completing just one task may cause them to forget the others, become distracted by other objects in the room, or give up entirely.

“The VDT is certainly an eye-opening experience,” says Battey. “Until taking it, you really can’t imagine what someone with memory loss is going through. Until you put yourself in their uncomfortable shoes and try to cope with the sensations they feel constantly, you’ll never truly understand their struggle.”

Benefits of the VDT for Caregivers

More than just insight, the Virtual Dementia Tour offers those caring for loved ones with dementia several advantages to their role. According to Second Wind Dreams and others who have taken the Tour, caregivers can benefit from:

• A New Perspective – The VDT gives you a glimpse of how dementia is experienced from your loved one’s point of view. You gain awareness of how different sights, sounds and sensations affect them. You understand how a seemingly simple task becomes impossibly difficult.
• Better Knowledge of Symptoms – Many people are unaware of the physical and sensory symptoms that go along with memory loss. The VDT exposes several of these symptoms, and you can begin to understand how many of them cause the reactions or behaviors your loved one exhibits.
• Greater Empathy – Without understanding another’s challenges, genuine empathy can’t occur. Your loved one is often alone inside a mind that’s growing unfamiliar and frightening. Once you begin to know what that’s like, you can stand beside them and offer the appropriate support for their struggles.
• Ultimately Better Care – All of this combines to make you a better caregiver to your loved one. The knowledge and understanding that you gain from the VDT can guide your caregiving and help you provide the support your loved one truly needs. Your expectations may be unrealistic, or your approach to care may be too hurried. The insights you gain from the VDT can help you evaluate your caregiving and make improvements.

Deepen Your Understanding

The Virtual Dementia Tour is appropriate for anyone who wants to understand memory loss, but it is most beneficial to individual caregivers, family members, and those who work in senior care. In fact, many senior living communities that offer memory care services have certified VDT facilitators on staff, use tours as training for their staff, and offer tours to the public. If you’re interested in taking the VDT, reach out to the senior living communities in your area to see if they offer Virtual Dementia Tours.

“At amavida, we understand how important family caregivers are to the lives of their loved ones with memory loss,” says Battey. “The more families understand their loved one’s disease, the better equipped they are to provide the kind of support that enhances their daily lives.”

If you would like to know more about caring for a loved one with dementia, reach out to the team at amavida today.