A day with dementia

It was difficult to see.

Strange sounds seemed to come from out of nowhere.

I struggled to complete the simplest everyday tasks.

That led to agitation.

All I wanted to do was get out of that room, out of that situation.

After a few long, frustrating and sometimes frightening moments it was over.

Luckily, for me, it was only a simulation.

I'd just experienced the Virtual Dementia Tour hosted Thursday by the Elmcroft of Jackson Senior Living Facility.

First, special inserts were put in my shoes to simulate the pain sensation felt by many Alzheimer's patients. This is the reason many with the disease shuffle their feet rather than pick up their feet when moving around.

Next, I was fitted with goggles similar to those used in competitive swimming except these were designed to blur with only a tiny hole in the middle of each eye. That represents the tunnel-vision many dementia patients experience.

Ear buds were inserted in my ears with a CD playing ambient sounds such as a distant television, static, doors slamming and sirens roaring past.

And finally, I was fitted with gloves where two of the fingers on each hand were taped together. Many afflicted with dementia and Alzheimer's experience a sensation of loss or numbing in the extremities.

I was then led into a standard patient's room to attempt a series of tasks.

The tour is designed to give caregivers and family members of those diagnosed with Alzheimer's or dementia a brief glimpse into the world of those they are responsible for taking care of day in and day out.

Elmcroft of Jackson Community Relations Director Shea Thweatt said in her experience everyone who takes the tour comes out with an altered view of what a day in the life of a dementia patient is like and that is the main purpose for conducting the tours.

"It's a whole viewpoint change," Thweatt said. "Physically, emotionally (and) mentally.

"They totally see a whole different world."

Executive Director Rosy Roberts said in addition to hosting the Virtual Dementia Tour, Elmcroft takes the tour on the road to area communities to help educate their staff. Roberts said it is critical for senior living staff members to experience the tour.

"You can read (about) it. You can be told," Roberts said. "But until you actually put the inserts in your shoes (and) you put the things on your eyes that make your vision blurred — that gives you a true perception, due to research, of what they are feeling and how they're walking, why they are doing certain things."

Because Alzheimer's and dementia affect different parts of the brain, each patient with any form of dementia has to be treated individually. That means an increased number of staff members for that particular wing of a senior care facility is required.

Roberts said every staff member at Elmcroft of Jackson takes the tour so they can understand the behaviors to better serve their clients.

"Unless you understand it, you really don't know what to do to help them," Roberts said.

Reach Josh Lemons at (731) 425-9636. Follow him on Twitter @JSWriterJosh.

What to know

According to the World Health Organization:

•Worldwide 35.6 million people have dementia.

•About 7.7 million new cases are diagnosed every year.

•Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia and may contribute 60 percent to 70 percent of cases.