Multi-sensory simulation gives carers the dementia experience

Most of us have a vague understanding of the symptoms but very few can relate to the struggle of living with dementia.

Thanks to Unreal Dimension Kit (UDK), an award-wining game engine, Alzheimer’s Australia Vic have created an immersive simulation program to allow individuals to experience first-hand what it might be like to have dementia.

Alzheimer’s Australia Vic launched The Virtual Dementia Experience in 2013, and since then have been running experiential learning workshops monthly in their Perc Walkley Dementia Learning Centre at Parkville.

The sessions are targeted at health and care professionals with the intention of promoting dementia-friendly environments.

By allowing a person to think and feel from the perspective of someone with dementia, The Virtual Dementia Experience encourages them to consider changes that could be made to their own care environment, whether that be a community or residential setting.

Alzheimer’s Australia Vic General Manager for Learning & Development David Sykes activates the sensor technology with a wave of his arm, and takes the audience with him through the invented world of a person with dementia.

A seamless image is projected onto an imposing two by ten metre white wall, with sound at maximum amplification.

The almost uncomfortable volume and graphic overstimulation is intentional. It forces the anxiety a person with dementia can feel when their memory and special orientation deteriorates.

The home environment of the virtual experience is no different to any you would find in the rooms of suburban Australia. There is floral patterns on the carpet, striped wallpaper and all-white tiling in the bathroom.

But through the eyes of someone with dementia, the walls are rippling, the floor is teeming with bugs and the toilet and the sink look the same.

Chaos ensues when the voice of the figurative “daughter,” a role played by Alzheimer’s Australia administrations officer Phoebe Lindsay, can be heard from an indeterminate location in the house.

She is screaming to get in the shower and get ready because, “you’ve got to be out of the door in ten minutes.”

She does not elucidate where “you” are going or why, but having assumed the persona of someone with dementia, you are left with the degrading feeling that you should know but have forgotten.

Dangers present themselves in the bathroom when, without labels, the sensor mistakenly picks up a razor instead of a toothbrush and there is no telling which tap is hot or cold in the shower.

The experience impresses upon two clear points. Firstly, it shows just how hazardous the average home environment for a person with dementia can be. The second is how easily that can be fixed.

Labels, signage, different coloured paint to distinguish doors from walls, block coloured carpet and simple uncluttered spaces are just some features that can improve accessibility for a person living with dementia.

Alzheimer’s Australia Vic CEO Maree McCabe said The Virtual Experience will spearhead an innovative approach to caring.

"With the prevalence of dementia in Victoria projected to increase to 141,000 by 2030, we are responding to the need we have for new and more sophisticated approaches to learning,” Ms McCabe said.

"We are committed to creating the better-skilled, quality aged and healthcare workforce we need for the future.”