title: Virtual Dementia Tour helps sensitize health care providers.
abstract: A review of the literature on sensitivity training among caregivers for the elderly revealed that no programs focused specifically on the cognitive changes that occur due to aging. Second Wind Dreams, a national nonprofit organization committed to improving society's perception of aging, conducted a study in which degenerative physical symptoms common for this population, such as impaired vision and motor skills, were simulated in a group of 146 subjects who worked in the field of elder care to give them a broader sense of the patient's perspective. Overwhelmingly, participants in the study came away with heightened awareness of the plight of confused elders and a strong sense that the high behavioral expectations caregivers have for dementia patients are unrealistic and need to change.
authors.affiliation: Second Wind Dreams, Alpharetta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: P K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Beville
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011596:Psychomotor Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D011930:Reaction Time; D012681:Sensitivity Training Groups; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D014584:User-Computer Interface