A home care service has given carers a Virtual Dementia Tour to help them understand what those who suffer from the disease are going through.
Bluebird Care Stevenage and North Herts invited carers and family members of people with dementia to take part in the experience at their Letchworth office on Thursday, October 5.
Their Virtual Dementia Tour bus, provided by Training2Care, aims to help carers and family members understand what those with the disease are going through by simulating its symptoms.
Participants were given spiky insoles to put in their shoes, simulating extra sensitivity in the nerve endings in their feet, and thick gloves, reducing feeling in their hands.
Carers and family members were also given glasses that reduce peripheral vision and add dark spots in the line of vision, and headphones that continually bombard your hearing with a cacophony of noise. The aim of the latter is to help them understand why it is important to approach people with dementia gently so as not to startle them.
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Robert Treschi, director of Bluebird Care Stevenage & North Herts, said: “Carers are always asking for more training to help them care for dementia sufferers, and the Virtual Tour gave them just that.
“A few minutes in the shoes of a dementia sufferer can only help our carers support and look after our dementia patients better.
"We also invited family members of sufferers to take part as they are also key in the care of their loved ones.
“The event has been a big success, the carers have loved it and learned a lot. Our aim is to continually strive to take better care of people with dementia.”
The experience was eye-opening for carers too, who agreed that it would be helpful to them when caring for their patients.
Wendy, one of the carers who attended, said: “The Virtual Tour certainly gives you a real insight into the life of a dementia sufferer.
“The constant noise they hear really brought it home for me and how disorientated you feel, which helps me understand what our patients are dealing with on a daily basis.”
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