Centre for Fusion Learning Innovation and Excellence

We have all heard the term dementia, but what does it feel like? This is a very complex question, and almost certainly a complex answer. This week, on an initiative led by Dr Michele Board, filming began on an innovative project to increase education and awareness of what it might feel like to have dementia through a short virtual reality video.

Over the last few weeks, we have collected true accounts from individuals with lived experience of dementia, and their partners and carers. Using this invaluable feedback, we set out to build on the pre-existing work of the “A Walk Through Dementia” app by developing a film for a new simulated setting.

Depicted wonderfully by our very own Ryan Muldoon, the 360-degree video will demonstrate what a person with dementia may experience in a busy clinical environment. With the help of our brilliant FLIE colleagues Tracey and Oliver, the bustling and busy environment will also be edited with a narrated script overlay to demonstrate how they might feel using internal monologue.

Unlike many dementia-related films, the story is told from a male perspective in a simulation ward bay. The video depicts how the surroundings may impact their comfort, concentration, and sense of safety in their environment and will used as an educational tool and future research.