Arizona Dementia Doctor Uses Virtual Reality to Help Teach Empathy to Students

Hospice of the Valley Medical Director Gillian Hamilton is using virtual reality to make young people more empathetic of persons living with dementia, reports KJZZ News . "The main people involved in dementia care are 50 and older," Hamilton notes. "We're not getting young people saying, 'I love dementia.'" Students in Hamilton's course at Arizona State University use safety goggles, thick gloves, and headphones to immerse themselves in a virtual simulation, performing tasks like buttoning shirts while being barraged by distracting visual and audio input. The gloves also hinder fine movements. Hamilton says this training is designed to break down the stigma of dementia once a person learns more about the condition.