CARERS and relatives participated in an immersive experience designed to give them a greater insight into what it is like to live with dementia.
Workers at New Copford Place, in Colchester, were keen to better understand what daily life for their residents who are living with dementia is actually like.
After raising enough funding, bosses at the home, which is run by charity Friends of the Elderly, were able to secure a visit from Training 2 Care UK.
The group is the UK partner of the ground-breaking Virtual Dementia Tour, which is owned by Second Wind Dreams, based in America.
On the day of the visit from Training 2 Care UK and its immersive apparatus, carers and relatives were given a selection of items to put on.
These included sound distorting headphones, bulky gloves which gave the sense of losing the ability to feel, sunglass goggles which distorted their sight and knobbly insoles for their shoes which simulated very painful pins and needles when walked on.
Upon entering the virtual tour, the participants were immersed in a total sensory disorientation as their vision, sense of touch, movement and sound were all distorted to mirror the experiences and physical feelings of a person living with dementia.
Lucy Buckle, deputy manager of NCP, raised funds for the project by taking part in two 12 kilometre Nuclear Mud Races and a sponsored fire walk.
She said: "Taking part and being enveloped in the sensory experience has given us all a greater appreciation of dementia.
“It has helped us to further understand our residents on a deeper and more meaningful level, enabling us to support them and provide the best possible care.
“I thought it would be an interesting and informative way to physically demonstrate to our care home team members and relatives the world – as our residents, who are living with dementia see and experience it every day."
Friends of the Elderly now has 66 trained dementia champions who work in its care homes and day care services, but is always working to enhance and expand its dementia knowledge and best practice.
Daniel Sabau, the registered manager at NCP who participated in the training, said: “Allowing us to physically walk in the shoes of a person who is living with dementia in all aspects of their everyday life, was extremely confusing and perplexing.
“The feelings of confusion, vulnerability and remoteness were all consuming."
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