Project Dementia Live aims to aid in care for those battling the disease

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — Caring for someone with dementia can be difficult, especially when it’s hard to understand what they go through.

That’s where Program Dementia Live comes in. This offers an immersive experience to help people understand what it’s like living with the condition. Each person gets told four simple tasks at the beginning of the experience while they have two pairs of gloves on, glasses that make the room dark and headphones playing distracting things like the news, music or trains going by. This creates a sensory overload. Then, they have seven minutes to complete those tasks.

The tasks are things such as addressing envelopes or folding laundry, but they quickly become extremely challenging.

“We as caregivers, professional or just family members, we have sympathy. We think we know the disease because we read about it. But this really gives you that empathy, feeling, what they are emotionally going through,” said January Brown.

Once they’re done with the simulation, they join a group discussion to talk about what they went through and how they can help their loved ones. Onslow County Senior Services offers multiple things to help caregivers including a support group.

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