Understanding Dementia Through The Virtual Dementia Tour® A Journey to Empathy and Awareness
- Brandi Jordan
- Oct 8
- 4 min read
The Virtual Dementia Tour® Extension Project
Dementia is one of the most heart-breaking diseases affecting approximately 10% of all adults over the age of 65 in the U.S., according to the CDC's National Health Statistics Report from June 2024 (1). Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Huntington’s disease, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are just a few of the diseases that can cause symptoms of dementia. Other conditions have been identified that can cause dementia or dementia-like symptoms including medication reactions, metabolic problems and endocrine abnormalities, nutritional deficits, infections, poisoning, brain tumors, problems with the heart or lungs, and conditions where the supply of oxygen to the brain is either limited or cut off (2).
In the last 75 years, the average life expectancy has increased by 12 years. People are living longer, and the result is an increase in the need for specialized care. Between 1995 and 2015, the percent of facilities with an Alzheimer’s special care unit increased by 4% (3). And between 1985 and 2015, the increase in the number of residents receiving antianxiety medication increased by 8.62%, antidepressant medication increased by 29.23%, and antipsychotic medication increased by 4.11% (3). 'Researchers estimated that 42% of Americans over age 55 will eventually develop dementia and the aging of the U.S. population is expected to cause the number of new dementia cases per year to double by 2060 (4).'
Behind all of these statistics is a population of individuals struggling to maintain their quality of life. Nearly 70% of individuals with dementia will spend their final years in a nursing home. A study by the National Institute of Health of nursing home staff perspectives on caring for individuals with dementia found that one of the key concerns of staff was the importance of continuing education and training with specific attention to person-centered care.
When I began writing this post, I never meant for it to read like a research report. The statistics are important but what's more important are the individual stories, the human impact, and how we approach a disease without a cure and provide care for the person. How do we step into their reality and provide person-centered care? How do we see people with dementia as people and not a disease?
Second Wind Dreams Founder, PK Beville, has a blog on the SWD website. In her post, Being Thankful for Those with Dementia, she writes:
"Those suffering from dementia have exceptional fortitude as they try to grasp understanding the world around them and staying in the game of life. They deserve credit for that. There is longing for connection at any level. It’s beautiful to watch them find ways to do that. Even when it’s tough, there is beauty in their attempts. They surprise us when they make stunning statements out of the blue. There is beauty in how the brain can surge through the disease."
Do nursing home staff receive training on how to care for individuals with dementia? Absolutely. Is it enough? Absolutely not. Is there even a training to help prepare a caregiver to step into the shoes of someone living with dementia and attempt to understand a world they have never lived in?
.
The Virtual Dementia Tour®, a 2-year, CMP-funded project by Second Wind Dreams, is providing training to nursing home staff, families and community partners in North Carolina to bring the 'reality' of dementia to light. SWD brings their Virtual Dementia Tour program to participating facilities in Year One of the project for two days and certified trainers teach participants:
how to walk in the shoes of nursing home residents by experiencing a simulation of what dementia is like.
hosting a round table discussion and teaching how to develop person-centered plans of care for residents with dementia
gain insight, resources, and strategies to assist in the provision of care for residents with dementia
In Year Two of the project, the same participating facilities get to experience the Inclusive Virtual Dementia Tour program, with certified trainers returning to their facility to teach
what is feels like to experience dementia with standard care
what is feels like to experience dementia in an empathic person-centered care environment
encourages participants to compare the difference and develop strategies of better care based on personal experiences.
A video from 2019 about the Virtual Dementia Tour experience can be viewed HERE
Since the project began in March 2025, SWD has provided its two-day VDT training to the following facilities:
Wallace Health & Rehab The Laurels of Chatham The Oaks - Brevard
Kenansville Health & Rehab Elizabethtown Health & Rehab Goldsboro Rehab
Pruitt Health-Neuse Westchester Manor Tsali Care Center
Shoreland Health & Rehab Kerr Lake Health & Rehab UNC-Rex
Fletcher Healthcare & Rehab Rex Rehab & Nursing Yanceyville
Village Green Health & Rehab The Laurels of Hendersonville Golden Years - Liberty
Franklin Oaks Nursing & Rehab Pruitt Health-Crystal Coast Camden Health & Rehab
East Carolina - Bladen East White Oak of Kings Mountain Lexington Healthcare
We are excited to see the positive outcomes of this phenomenal training program, which has previously been successfully implemented in Georgia, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, and North Carolina.
For more information about the VDT program, visit their website at Virtual Dementia Tour - Second Wind Dreams
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