VIRTUAL TRIGGER ROOM FOR
COMMUNITY & LONG-TERM CARE
Dementia changes how people think, act and feel, and
their ability to understand the world, so a person living
with dementia may see and hear things differently,
interpret things incorrectly, and sometimes have trouble
communicating their needs. For those living with dementia,
the actions, words, and gestures we see in challenging
behaviours are a response to something important in their
personal, social, or physical environment. These challenging
behaviours are often called "responsive behaviours" —
a response to an unmet need, or something they
cannot communicate. For example, if a person living with
dementia pushes a caregiver, that behaviour could be
caused by many factors including physical discomfort or
poor communication.
The Virtual Trigger Room (VTR) is an online, augmented
reality training tool to help caregivers manage responsive
behaviours in dementia. VTR simulates the lived
environments of people living with dementia at home and in
long-term care (LTC), and depicts environmental triggers for
responsive behaviours. It provides users with a 360-degree,
self-guided tour through a virtual residence and allows
the user to identify potential environmental triggers
for a person living with dementia and select prevention
strategies on how to de-escalate responsive behaviours.
VTR empowers family caregivers, students, and LTC staff
with tools and resources to deliver better care and support
the quality of life of people living with dementia.
2023–2025 IMPACT REPORT 19
