Australian VR Dementia Education Workshop Enhances Aged Care Dining
Dementia Australia has introduced an innovative workshop called Dine with Ted (VR) to assist care workers in enhancing the dining experience for individuals living with dementia. The workshop leverages virtual reality (VR) technology, combined with best practice principles, to offer top-tier dementia education.
According to Dementia Australia CEO, Professor Tanya Buchanan, the workshop offers an immersive experience that enables participants to improve their skills, adopt a problem-solving approach to behavioural challenges, and optimise the dining experience for those with dementia. For individuals living with dementia, whether in community, home, or residential care, a positive dining experience plays a crucial role in their overall well-being. The Dine with Ted (VR) workshop directly addresses the upcoming, more rigorous Aged Care Quality Standards, which place increased emphasis on dining experiences for people in elderly care.
This three-hour, face-to-face workshop utilises VR and avatar technology to provide participants with a unique perspective by allowing them to experience the dining environment through the eyes of someone living with dementia. It highlights how physical, environmental, and communication factors can influence behaviour.
Unveiled today to a large audience at Dementia Australia’s Centre for Dementia Learning webinar, Nourish Connections: Enhancing Dining Experiences for People with Dementia, Dine with Ted (VR) is the latest addition to Dementia Australia’s suite of VR-based workshops designed to maximise learning outcomes.
Rachel Mead, Regis Aged Care’s Regional Quality and Improvement Manager (South), who participated in the workshop, noted that the VR environment closely mimicked the day-to-day realities of providing a dining experience for residents. She found the technology to be particularly impactful in capturing different perspectives, describing the experience as “eye-opening.”
The workshop is designed for staff supporting individuals with dementia in various care settings, including residential and home care environments.
