New VR technology can assist carers in providing better dementia care
With regard to the new and innovative virtual reality (VR) technology called the Educational Dementia Immersive Experience (EDIE), the local Alzheimer Society is the only organisation in Ontario to have access to it.
On Wednesday, in honour of Alzheimer Awareness Month, information about this innovative technology was released.
With EDIE, users may see a virtual environment through the eyes of a dementia patient. According to Jennifer Hitchmough, executive director of the Alzheimer Society of Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton (PKLNH), this is accomplished by emulating some of the same perceptual changes that may cause the patient difficulty doing everyday chores.
According to the speaker, It’s difficult to describe, but sometimes a person with dementia finds it difficult to discern, for instance, what’s different between a white barrier and a white door; they may also find it difficult to perceive the entrance. For instance, the designs on a rug might be perplexing.
Hitchmough clarified that this technology would help carers and employees alike better comprehend the experiences of people suffering from dementia and how to make their lives simpler.
According to Sarah Cook, manager of the education programme of the Alzheimer Society of PKLNH, the new EDIE technology was first developed by Dementia Australia a number of years ago.
The speaker remarked that, due to its incredible effect and success, it has been gathering speed swiftly. He said that they are the only organisation in all of Ontario that holds access to this VR experience. It is only the second in Canada to be able to provide this service. Therefore, they see it as a wonderful privilege that they are able to share this knowledge with every community that they assist.
The Alzheimer Society of PKLNH invested around $50,000 on these new gadgets and sixteen Oculus headsets. These will be made accessible to people who schedule a workshop at the organisation’s Peterborough Square headquarters and will be used for professional development for those who assist those with Alzheimer’s disease.
According to her, the Alzheimer Society of PKLNH is additionally betting that EDIE can help with their anti-stigma initiative, “Be the Missing Piece.”
Attendees of this important educational course may see the world through the eyes of a dementia patient. That’s made possible by this fantastic VR, which his team hopes people get to experience right now, Cook said. The participants enter a different universe and gain personal knowledge of how to get around locations that display signs of dementia as soon as they wear the VR headset.
According to Cook, this is beneficial for instilling empathy and awareness of the struggles faced by those who have this illness. She said that although EDIE is beneficial to everyone, those who deal with Alzheimer’s patients particularly need to know about it.
The speaker remarked that being able to really identify with those who are living with dementia is a powerful skill that can be used to help erase the prejudice that sometimes accompanies it.
According to Hitchmough, social stigmas associated with Alzheimer’s disease might cause people who have the illness to feel alone, which can make them less inclined to seek help or engage in activities they used to love.
The expert stated that, in light of the societal stigmas associated with dementia diagnoses, those who are suffering from its signs may suffer dire repercussions because they fear the associated embarrassment.
Seeking assistance, however, can be the difference between receiving medical care that might slow the course of their illness or not. In order to get life-enhancing assistance and education, as well as to benefit from medical treatments, early diagnosis is essential. It’s an exhortation to fill in the blank.
Hitchmough emphasized that Alzheimer’s affects almost everyone in some way and that over the next six years, the disease will only become more common in Canada. The Alzheimer Society of PKLNH estimates that 66,900 Ontarians will have dementia in 2024 and that by the end of the year, 316,600 people will have dementia overall.
According to her, cases of dementia would rise by 51% by the year 2030. Additionally, there will be a 65% increase in the population suffering from dementia. Thus, its growth is known to us. They know there’s a lot of work ahead of them.
