Baycrest

VR could revolutionize seniors' care education Clarence has dementia. He's tired and he doesn't want to get out of bed for his doctor's appointment. As you walk into his room you see him lashing out at his personal support worker, Mary. She patiently gets him up but he starts screaming when he thinks a dark floor mat is a huge hole he is going to fall through. You immediately empathize with Clarence as you see the world through his eyes. This is the goal, and the proven outcome, of a new virtual reality dementia simulation developed and tested by Baycrest for healthcare staff and family caregivers. The use of virtual reality (VR) as an education tool is new to healthcare and this first Baycrest effort – a formal study by the Centre for Education tested with 33 participants and funded by the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) – has demonstrated that immersive technology increases empathy towards people living with dementia and their caregivers. Participants donned headphones and VR goggles to view 360-degree video scenarios of Clarence and his caregiver, from his perspective and from hers. "I could better understand how clients feel and how dementia impacts the most basic of day-to-day activities," said one healthcare worker. Work is now underway on an app for smartphones and tablets that will provide wide and easy access to the video simulations for healthcare providers and the general public. The potential to develop VR scenarios related to other aspects of seniors' care could revolutionize the way education is developed, standardized and delivered. (pictured right): At a Baycrest Foundation Board retreat, Board members experience a VR dementia simulation. " It's often hard to take myself out of my own experience and put myself into my mother's experience. It's easy to forget how frustrating it is for her to be sort of trapped in this disease as well. " – study participant 2

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