Montreal health workers use VR to better understand their patients with dementia

There is a virtual reality simulation on what it's like to have dementia and there are hopes that the experience will help health-care workers get a better understanding of their patients.

As the VR headsets come off, understanding sets in: relief, dizziness, and sadness are just some of the reactions the workers experience.

"It's really scary," said Saida Belmihoub of the CHSLD Auclair. "I just wanted to cry. That affected me so much."

Belmihoub and others at the Montreal-North health board are stepping into the shoes of a man named Edie. He wakes up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, seeing and hearing the world through his eyes and ears.

Dementia can distort the senses — even a safe space can feel dangerous. The goal is to give doctors, nurses, and long-term care workers more insight into their patients’ lives.

"That little five-minute experience helped me see things differently," said Belmihoub. "I realized what I'm missing. When you're busy with work, sometimes you don’t have the time to really understand what they're going through."

The workshop held at Sacré-Cœur Hospital was put on by CDS, a care provider for senior homes across the country.

"It's an eye-opening experience," said CDS Vice-President, Thomas Turcotte. "Of course, it’s not always like that, but in some hard moments, it can look like this."

It’s important to get ahead of the needs of an aging population, according to Ali El-Akhras, a Jean-Talon Hospital senior nursing adviser.

"By 2041, we expect a 34 per cent increase in the number of people aged 70 and above in our territory. That could mean 100,000 more people," he said.

After a virtual deep dive, the health-care workers say they’re now navigating dementia care with even more compassion and clarity.