The Virtual Dementia Tour

There are approximately 35 million Americans age 65 and older and more than 5.4 million suffer from Alzheimer's Disease. Dementia is the overriding diagnosis for cognitive impairments - the largest category under Dementia is Alzheimer’s Disease.

The Virtual Dementia Tour® (VDT®) is a real-life simulation that allows you to experience the sights, sounds, and feelings that those with Dementia adapt to every day as they try to accomplish simple tasks.  Enhance your understanding of what it is really like to live with Dementia by attending Care Alternatives Hospice Virtual Dementia Tour® Program. 

In short, it is a tool that gives you a form of dementia, and allows you to experience what it is like to be suffering from dementia. This is a commutation tool. A tool designed to let you feel and understand what your loved one might be feeling like at any point in time. As such, it is designed to help you improve communication by giving you the experience of dementia.

While we will never be able to fully understand how Dementia feels, the VDT® demonstration is an attempt to provide profound insight into the lonely, frightening world of Dementia. This enlightening program helps all of us to perceive aging and cognitively-impaired diseases in a more compassionate way.

Ways The VDT® Limits Sensory and Physical Capabilities:

Feet:  Simulate foot pain that frequently accompanies poor circulation, neuropathy, and/or arthritis.

Hands:  Simulate arthritis in hands as well as loss of sensory feel, simulate loss of fine motor skills in the hands, simulate decrease in sensory motor nerves which results in decrease sensitivity to touch, injury, and temperature variations.

Eyes:  Impair peripheral vision, simulate vision impairment such as macular degeneration, reduced sensitivity to lighting, increased presence of glare and hazy eyesight.

Ears:  Simulate hearing loss.

The Virtual Dementia Tour®  was featured on ABCs Nightline. They have an excellent article and a video where Primetime's Cynthia McFadden participates in the experiment. She describes the experience as "very humbling". (View ABC News Video)

 Ezra Home Care is proud to be a sponsor for the Virtual Dementia Tour® to be held on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 in Quincy.  All are invited to experience this simulation.  Reservations are required. Download this flyer for more information.

This Event is Sponsored by 

Care Alternatives Hospice

Atria Marina Place Assisted Living

 Ezra Home Care

 StilMee

Dare to Downsize

 Individuals with Alzheimer's and other related dementias who live alone are exposed to higher risks including inadequate self-care, malnutrition, untreated medical conditions, falls and wandering from home unattended.

Ezra Home Care has developed a specialized Alzheimer's and Dementia Program to enable clients to remain in their homes safely for as long as possible and avoid unnecessary hospitalization. Our caregivers complete a comprehensive training program to understand the disease process and learn strategies to manage difficult behaviors. Key areas are communication skills, safety concerns, managing challenging behaviors, engaging clients in meaningful activities and activites of daily living.

 Resources:

Second Wind