Google creates a new virtual reality experience: "A Walk Through Dementia"
The experiences of others can be difficult to understand -- do you see green in the same way as me? But things are even harder -- and more important -- to grasp in the world of medicine. Just what is it like to have dementia, for example? It's much more than just memory loss and confusion.
Understanding what the world is like for someone with the condition can help others to learn how they can help sufferers more effectively, and Google has created a new virtual reality experience with this precise aim in mind. "A Walk Through Dementia" is a Google Cardboard-compatible experience, although any VR headset will do the job, it can also be viewed on YouTube.
Google worked in conjunction with Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK) to produce "A Walk Through Dementia", hoping to educate people about the lesser-known effects of the condition. While virtual reality has traditionally been used for entertainment, this is not supposed to be a 'fun' experience. It gives the viewer the chance to feel what it is like for a dementia sufferer to tackle various everyday tasks.
From making a cup of tea, to shopping at the supermarket and walking home, "A Walk Through Dementia" is a revealing and unnerving project. While it is not possible to fully convey the sense of confusion, loss of sensory capabilities and other symptoms, the experience goes some way to doing so.
If you want to try out the dementia experience for yourself, don your preferred VR headset and head over to the A Walk Through Dementia website. Alternatively you can download the Android app from Google Play.
Check out the introductory video to see how the project came into being.