Bluebird Care’s Immersive Experience Bus arrives at Athenry Co-operative Livestock Mart on Thursday 24 September, giving farming families, carers and anyone with a loved one living with dementia the chance to go through the Virtual Dementia Tour. The bus is at the mart from 10am to 4.30pm and the tour is free.
The Virtual Dementia Tour was developed by Second Wind Dreams in the United States and is used internationally to train care staff and families. Participants put on gloves, goggles and headphones that alter their sight, hearing and touch, and are then asked to carry out a few everyday tasks. It takes about eight minutes. Most people struggle to finish the tasks, and come away with a very different understanding of what a parent, partner or neighbour with dementia is dealing with every day.
The tour highlights the everyday stressors that can distress a person living with dementia, such as noise, glare, clutter and rushed routines, and the simple adjustments that reduce anxiety and support independence. Bluebird Care’s aim is to turn a few minutes of understanding into practical changes at home.
“Dementia is something most Irish families will meet at some point, and the hardest part is often not knowing what the person is going through. The Virtual Dementia Tour closes that gap in a few minutes. People step off the bus and immediately think about the lighting in their mother’s kitchen or how quickly they speak to their father. Those small changes make a real difference to someone’s day,” said Mark McInerney, Chief Operating Officer, Bluebird Care Ireland.
This year’s roadshow is primarily focused on schools, colleges and other educational facilities, alongside a number of public stops, so that the next generation of carers, healthcare workers and families understand dementia from the inside.
The Bluebird Care Galway team will be on the bus throughout the day to talk to visitors about the tour and about the support available to families caring for someone with dementia at home.
The Immersive Experience Bus is at Wexford Quay on Monday 21 September, University of Limerick on Tuesday 22 September, LCETB in Ennis on Wednesday 23 September, Athenry Mart on Thursday 24 September and Quayside Shopping Centre in Sligo on Friday 25 September, and continues on a national roadshow through September and October.
