Experiencing dementia to provide better care

Faced with the daunting dual challenge of a rapidly aging population at increased risk for developing dementia and a dramatic shortage of nursing home and assisted living staff to care for them, Denver Health and the Alzheimer's Association are collaborating on a creative study to better train dementia care staff by enabling them to walk – virtually – in the shoes of those they care for.

As part of her doctoral dissertation project at Regis University, Sarah Cope, Doctor of Nursing Practice at Denver Medical Center and co-medical director at Oasis Medicine Service, partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association to utilize a grant from the Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence to pilot the innovative Hospital Virtual Dementia Tour® training program aimed at both increasing the empathy and understanding of care staff and improving the level of care for hospitalized patients with dementia. This program was created by Second Wind Dreams to provide “a window into the world” for those living with dementia and expanded to include the specialized hospital format in 2019.

The Virtual Dementia Tour simulates the experience of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, including vision and hearing impairment and balance issues, so that healthcare professionals and caregivers can better understand the sensations being endured by those with dementia.

“The changes that come with a progressive disease like Alzheimer’s are very difficult for loved ones and even professional caregivers to relate to,” said Danelle Hubbard, Health Systems director for the Alzheimer’s Association in the Rocky Mountain region who served as Trained Facilitator for the project. “The Virtual Dementia Tour gives caregivers and healthcare staff a firsthand perspective on what people with dementia are experiencing.” 

“With that inside perspective, we believe, will come greater understanding and empathy for those living with dementia and a higher level of care,” said Cope.

The completed pilot study supports that expectation.

“This pilot study demonstrated improvement in caregivers’ attitudes and their knowledge (of the patient’s experience),” said Cope. “People living with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia have higher mortality rates and higher healthcare costs. Our goal is to improve both of those outcomes.”

Dr. Cope and Hubbard also continue to explore opportunities to include HVDT in staff training, and evaluate the impact on not only staff knowledge but also hospital and patient outcomes.

Ongoing collaboration with Denver Health

The Hospital Virtual Dementia Tour project is the latest in an ongoing series of collaborations between the Alzheimer's Association and Denver Health. They have partnered on community events such as the Dementia Dialogues; providing clinical teams access to training with the CDC BOLD grant funded Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias in Primary Care: Addressing Risk Factors, Early Diagnosis; and care planning in partnership with the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Furthermore, the Alzheimer’s Association has been recognized by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to offer state-based support in Colorado to implement Age-Friendly Health Systems. Hubbard and Cope are collaborating to implement Age-Friendly Health Systems initiatives within the Denver Health System.

“Collaborative efforts like these are essential because our population is aging, the number of people who will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia will continue to rise, the cost of care is only going up, and the already understaffed eldercare communities will continue to struggle to reach adequate staffing levels,” said Hubbard.

More than 11,000 Americans will turn 65 each and every day through 2027. That number becomes more concerning when we realize that age is the No. 1 risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

There are currently 91,000 Coloradans among 7.4 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease, the sixth-leading cause of death and only major disease without a prevention or cure. To learn more about the information, programs and services provided at no charge by the Alzheimer’s Association, go to alz.org or call the Association’s free Helpline, staffed 24/7 by trained professionals, at 800-272-3900.