The Community College of Rhode Island has purchased a new, immersive resource to better the care of those with dementia via tech-based instruction and insight.
Created by author and gerontology specialist P.K. Beville, the Virtual Dementia Tour has users wear sensory-altering items in dimly lit rooms. Then, they're required to complete a list of simple tasks during a set timeframe — all while struggling with impaired hearing, vision and/or sensation.
"Most find it impossible to complete all of [the tasks] — or, in some cases, any — in such a short amount of time," a release on the move states. "Creating empathy among current and future health care professionals increases the quality of care provided and the quality of life for those who are suffering."
CCRI was able to purchase components of the tour with support from the R.I. Executive Office of Health and Human Services Health System Transformation Project. As a result, it's the only college in the state to have such a resource.
“Our elderly are just growing exponentially,” said CCRI nursing professor and licensed tour administrator Donna Ashworth. "They’re going to be our largest population, so we really need to understand their specific, complex needs. ... We experience [dementia symptoms during the tour] for a few minutes. The patients experience it for the rest of their lives.”
The release adds that according to the Alzheimer’s Association, around 5.8 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, and the illness' mortality rate has increased 145 percent between 2000 to 2017.
There are plans to open doors to the tour once enough CCRI professionals are trained how to administrate it.
And all told, it's an experience users are calling effective.
“It was very eye-opening,” said assistant nursing professor and 17-year industry vetran Patricia Kelling. “I take care of dementia patients all the time and it gives me a whole new outlook, especially with their anger.”
