
Bringing empathy to life: Using Virtual Reality to enhance Dementia Awareness
- Categories Key things to help you everyday, Latest industry developments
- Date December 10, 2024
While making our way around the country for Village Summit, Tiffany and I took some time out of our travels to visit Dementia Australia’s Learning Centre in Melbourne. This visit is something we have had on our ‘to do’ list for some time.
As Village professionals, we spend a lot of our time unpacking the subject of dementia, and for many of us we are supporting residents in real time within our communities. This is why we were so keen to see what Dementia Australia has been working on to increase awareness and education in the broader community.
In visiting their Centre in Melbourne, we were greeted by friend and colleague Marie Norman (pictured below).

Along with her team, Marie introduced us to ‘Enabling Edie’ – a VR training experience designed to simulate life as a person with dementia.
This immersive experience allowed us to better understand the challenges of everyday tasks, such as navigating to the bathroom at night.
One striking moment was mistaking a patterned carpet for cockroaches due to the visual distortions often experienced by people living with dementia.
Another ‘aha’ moment was in the hallway trying to find a door while trying to locate the bathroom door. Just as I thought I had success, it turns out I was in the laundry rather than the bathroom due to the lack of lighting.

Next, we got to experience a VR experience of a situation de-escalation between a carer and a resident, Ted. Ted blends VR with artificial intelligence where the part of Ted is designed to replicate a person with a diagnosis of Dementia.
In this instance, we were in the role of the carer (Pia) during meal time with the immersion designed to teach us the realities of distractions.
Tiffany showcased her home care background, navigating the situation in the role of Pia to communicate with Ted and help him get ready for the day.

Resources, resources and more resources
With 3 out of every 10 Australians having a diagnosis of Dementia, and the average age of residents in a retirement village being 81, we are aware of the challenges Dementia causes in our communities. We navigate it every day.
Dementia Australia offers several tools to assist managers and families, such as the Community Education Toolkit, which can be woven into training sessions, and apps like ‘Ask Annie,’ which supports care workers in building dementia care skills during their busy schedules.
Below are a few resources we feel can add a lot to helping residents and their families.
- Brain Track – cognition testing available for anyone to test their cognition (missing word) against themselves over a period of 6 months. The outcome could be provided to a person’s local GP to discuss any results.
- Dementia Friendly Home app – using interactive 3D technology provides people with ideas to make their home more accessible for people living with dementia
- A Better Visit – a free app that helps people visit a family member living with Dementia
For more information
The National Dementia Helpline is 1800 100 500.
Author
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A versatile learning and development specialist, Natasha brings her global experience to the DCM Institute. With a focus is on collaborating with key stakeholders in the seniors living sector to create lifelong learning experiences, Natasha is well-equipped to adapt to different modalities of learning and professional development. Natasha’s career spans across vocational education and training, in both non-profit and corporate environments.
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A versatile learning and development specialist, Natasha brings her global experience to the DCM Institute. With a focus is on collaborating with key stakeholders in the seniors living sector to create lifelong learning experiences, Natasha is well-equipped to adapt to different modalities of learning and professional development.
Natasha’s career spans across vocational education and training, in both non-profit and corporate environments.
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