Could a VR headset help you better understand a relative with Alzheimer’s?

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Having a relative with Alzheimer’s disease can be difficult to cope with and the situation is likely to be mutual. The degenerative condition leaves many patients feeling lost and disorientated, but it can be hard to understand what it’s really like when you’ve never experienced it.

Now, a US company has developed a virtual reality (VR) headset that mimics the disease for users. Embodied Labs hopes that the device will help to foster empathy in relatives and caregivers, because they’ll have first-hand knowledge of what it’s really like.

Carrie Shaw, creator of the device at Embodied Labs, told Chicago magazine: “We see that people have better understanding after going through the Alzheimer’s experience that it’s a disease of the brain, and that when people are acting out it’s because of their disease and not because of their personality or intentional behaviour.”

Stepping away from traditional lectures and textbook learning could be the future for healthcare professionals looking to work with an ageing population. VR offers many possibilities and anything that helps to encourage empathy is a positive step forward.

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