Home care provider calls interactive workshop a leap in the right direction for dementia care
A new three-hour virtual reality workshop has been introduced to South Australia for the first time, allowing carers of people living with dementia to explore what living with the condition could be like.
South Australian home care provider My Care Solution was able to be the first in South Australia to welcome the workshop with the technology, known as the Educational Dementia Immersive Experience (EDIE), which has been developed by Dementia Australian and the Deakin University Software and Technology Innovation Laboratory.
Managing Director of My Care Solution, Lee McBriarty, says the workshop has empowered caregivers and nurses by giving them a more empathetic understanding of dementia.
“The workshop revolutionises dementia care education, particularly when it comes to providing dementia care in the home,” she explains.
“Our participants gained a better understanding of how tailored support for individual needs can make a world of difference for a person living with dementia in the community – it has been invaluable.
“With almost 35,700 South Australians living with dementia, the participation of aged care organisations in EDIE will further support the needs and wants of those touched by dementia in our community.
“We know that the majority of South Australians want to remain in their own homes for as long as possible, so this interactive workshop is a leap in the right direction for dementia care.”
Rita Bottrill, a My Care Solution caregiver, says the workshop has given her a better understanding of what her clients living with dementia are going through.
“As I have clients living with dementia, the interactive workshop has given me an even deeper understanding of what we already know and will help us give our clients and their carers a better quality of life,” Ms Bottrill says.
Dementia Australia’s Executive Director of Business Development, Leanne Emerson, says Dementia Australia was excited to be able to bring the EDIE workshop to South Australia to provide caregivers with the chance to immerse themselves in the world of a person living with dementia.
“It is fantastic to see the impact that the virtual reality experience has had on the participants in the workshop,” she says.
