How we are using technology to improve the lives of people living with dementia
EDIE - Educational Dementia Immersive Experience
Enabling EDIE interactive workshop
This immersive 3 hour workshop workshop enables participants to see the world through the eyes of a person living with dementia utilising high quality virtual reality technology. The workshop enhances your knowledge of dementia whilst exploring a supportive approach to living more confidently with dementia.
This program will explore what it may feel like to experience dementia, care for someone living with dementia and to work in partnership to identify support needs and develop a support plan.
View and book the upcoming Enabling EDIETM workshops below
The multi-award winning Virtual Dementia Experience™ (VDE™) is an immersive, interactive virtual reality experience that invades the senses and takes people into the world of a person living with dementia. A VDE™ session takes the participant through a multi-sensory simulation using light, sound, colour and visual content to immerse you into the lived experience of a person with dementia.
Created in collaboration with Melbourne game developers, Opaque Multimedia, in consultation with carers, people with dementia and our educators, the VDE™ is an innovative use of game technology to deliver experiential learning aimed at increasing empathy.
This 2 hour workshop enables participants to understand the environmental elements that are friendly or hostile, by allowing them to experience a home environment in the same way a person with dementia would. Participants are encouraged to reflect on their own approach to dementia support and to think about ways in which they can make their own environments more supportive.
On completion of this session you will:
• have an improved understanding of what it may be like to live with dementia
• have developed more empathy with people living with dementia and their carers
• have gained an understanding of the impact of the environment on people with dementia
• be prompted to consider enhancements to the environment and support for people living with dementia
Award-winning technology only available at Alzheimer’s Australia Vic
To improve the quality of life for a person living with dementia, activities should be planned that are not only engaging, but also empowering, explorative and encourage communication, and can be conducted in a safe and supportive environment. This is what The Virtual Forest™ program offers.
The Virtual Forest uses a gaming technology to create a sensory experience, utilising a large interactive screen, and is designed to immerse the user in a peaceful and enjoyable virtual environment for people living with dementia. The Virtual Forest creates a beautiful nature setting which is calming as well as engaging and enjoyable.
The Virtual Forest presents an expansive park-like virtual setting, with colourful flowers, trees and a river with a bridge. The seasons can change with a clap of the hands, and animals can appear and move around the scene with a wave of the hands. It is designed to give back some control to people living with dementia – it is their forest, and they can experiment with it and enjoy it. This is a deliberately personal experience, but one that can be shared with carers or other residents.
The Virtual Forest uses the Orbbec motion sensor to allow users to provide input with nothing more than a wave of their hands. This means they can use natural, easy motions to control interactive elements in the forest.
The Virtual Forest has a number of interactive elements for users to interact with:
Mother duck & ducklings
School of koi fish
Monarch butterfly
Dragonfly
Boat
Season change from autumn to spring
For technical support, call Jim Pyatt on 03 9816 5715 or email jim.pyatt@dementia.org.au
Screens/monitors are recommended to be as large as possible – preferably, home theatre setups with a projector or large screen.
| Sponsor |
|---|
 |
| Major donors |
|---|
| BB and A Miller Foundation |
| Norman and Betty Lees |
| Grosvenor Foundation |
| Miss Ann Miller |
| Mr Brian Moore |
| Donors |
|---|
| Petrica Petrovich |
| Dr Tanya Petrovich |
| Ms Therese Caine |
| Ms Barbara Potter OAM |
| Mrs Patricia Warren Petch |
| Lions Club and Murrabit and District |
| Ms Kay Ehrenberg |
| Ms Lisa Romano |
| Ms Joanna Cosgriff |
| Ms Joan Hammonds |
| Ms Sarah James |
| Kirsty Hughes |
The Dementia-Friendly Home App
The Dementia-Friendly Home App is available for tablets and mobile phones. Using interactive 3D game technology Unreal Engine, the app provides carers with ideas to make their home more accessible for people living with dementia. Many of the app suggestions are small, inexpensive solutions ranging to more significant changes.
With 70 per cent of people with dementia living in the community, the app enables the home to be made more dementia-friendly. This can allow the person to stay in their own home, enjoy their regular lifestyle activities and remain engaged with their community for longer.
The Dementia-Friendly Home App is available for iPad/iPhones on the iTunes App Store for $2.99.
That’s less than a cup of coffee!
Click below do download the app for your device:
The Dementia-Friendly Home App was developed through funding by the joint Commonwealth and State Government Home and Community Care program. The Deakin Software and Technology Innovation Laboratory (DSTIL) worked with Dementia Australia to develop this technology.
PARO - Robotic Seal
PARO is an interactive robotic baby seal. This cuddly and responsive robot provides undemanding interactions and can deliver outcomes similar to animal-assisted therapy for people living with dementia.
PARO has been shown to have a positive psychological effect on people living with dementia, improving their relaxation and motivation. It can also improve the socialisation of patients with each other and with caregivers and family members.
Developed in Japan, PARO responds to touch, light, temperature, positioning, sound, and can even learn common words over time, such as its chosen name.
Alzheimer’s Australia Vic has 2 PARO seals available for hire for $25 per week (Monday – Friday); weekends are free if PARO is booked for consecutive weeks.
PARO must be picked up and returned from our Parkville office between the hours of 9am and 5pm.
For hire availability and bookings contact our Technology Support Administrator Jim Pyatt: dementialearningsupport@dementia.org.au or tel: 03 9816 5715
A Better Visit App
A better visit’ is a free to download app for iPads featuring a range of two-player games designed to enhance communication and facilitate positive social interactions between people with dementia and their visitors.
The App is designed to help families have a ‘Better Visit’ with their family member living in residential care. Often family members struggle to interact and engage with a family member who no longer recognises them. This application assists with engaging the family members and results in a ‘Better Visit’ for everyone.
‘A Better Visit’ App is available for FREE for iPad through the App Store
Click below do download the app for your device:
Suggested game guidelines.
Share the experience as much as possible. While you may need to explain games and read out questions try to play together as equal players. Engage your co-player as much as possible by demonstrating, gently guiding, encouraging and turn taking.
Find the right activity at the right time. There might be games one of you is not interested in or days where an activity away from the iPad is preferred. This is ok and should be respected.
Be flexible and explorative. There is no right or wrong way to play, or requirement to complete games. Come up with ways that engage both of you, the main purpose is to have fun together or engage in a conversation prompted by the visuals or music. Don’t necessarily insist on playing according to rules.
Engage in conversations. Ask one question at a time (even if there are several listed). Don’t leave all the questions to your co-player; show initiative and tell some stories yourself.
A Better Visit app does not collect data. For more information on Dementia Australia’s Privacy Policy click here.
Acknowledgments
A Better Visit has been developed in collaboration by Dementia Australia, Lifeview Residential Care and Swinburne University of Technology’s Future Self and Design Living Lab. The interactive games were designed in a co-creative process with people living with moderate and advanced dementia and their visitors.
Special thanks to all participating residents, families and Lifeview staff who helped in co-designing and evaluating the app.
- Enabling EDIE™ Workshop
EDIE - Educational Dementia Immersive Experience
Enabling EDIE interactive workshop
This immersive 3 hour workshop workshop enables participants to see the world through the eyes of a person living with dementia utilising high quality virtual reality technology. The workshop enhances your knowledge of dementia whilst exploring a supportive approach to living more confidently with dementia.
This program will explore what it may feel like to experience dementia, care for someone living with dementia and to work in partnership to identify support needs and develop a support plan.
If you are a health care professional and would like to enquire about booking an Enabling EDIETM workshop at your facility or wish to further discuss your training needs and get an obligation free quote call 1300 DEMENTIA (1300 336 368) or email dementialearningsupport@dementia.org.auView and book the upcoming Enabling EDIETM workshops below
- Virtual Dementia Experience™
The multi-award winning Virtual Dementia Experience™ (VDE™) is an immersive, interactive virtual reality experience that invades the senses and takes people into the world of a person living with dementia. A VDE™ session takes the participant through a multi-sensory simulation using light, sound, colour and visual content to immerse you into the lived experience of a person with dementia.
Created in collaboration with Melbourne game developers, Opaque Multimedia, in consultation with carers, people with dementia and our educators, the VDE™ is an innovative use of game technology to deliver experiential learning aimed at increasing empathy.
This 2 hour workshop enables participants to understand the environmental elements that are friendly or hostile, by allowing them to experience a home environment in the same way a person with dementia would. Participants are encouraged to reflect on their own approach to dementia support and to think about ways in which they can make their own environments more supportive.
On completion of this session you will:
• have an improved understanding of what it may be like to live with dementia
• have developed more empathy with people living with dementia and their carers
• have gained an understanding of the impact of the environment on people with dementia
• be prompted to consider enhancements to the environment and support for people living with dementiaAward-winning technology only available at Alzheimer’s Australia Vic
“I had an 8 hour shift in the facility the next day and I was able to use the experience several times, in different ways, throughout the day. It was such an incredible feeling!”− Participant
Book online for the next Virtual Dementia Experience.If you are interested in a customised Enabling EDIE workshop for your workplace or wish to further discuss your training needs and get an obligation free quote, contact the Centre for Dementia Learning on 1300 DEMENTIA (1300 336 368) or email dementialearningsupport@dementia.org.au
- The Virtual Forest™
- Meaningful engaging experiences are important for everyone; this does not change when someone develops dementia.
To improve the quality of life for a person living with dementia, activities should be planned that are not only engaging, but also empowering, explorative and encourage communication, and can be conducted in a safe and supportive environment. This is what The Virtual Forest™ program offers.
The Virtual Forest uses a gaming technology to create a sensory experience, utilising a large interactive screen, and is designed to immerse the user in a peaceful and enjoyable virtual environment for people living with dementia. The Virtual Forest creates a beautiful nature setting which is calming as well as engaging and enjoyable.
“It is happy and easy-going. I was captured by the forest, so ‘beautiful’! It recalled the experience with my family.”− Pearl
The Virtual Forest presents an expansive park-like virtual setting, with colourful flowers, trees and a river with a bridge. The seasons can change with a clap of the hands, and animals can appear and move around the scene with a wave of the hands. It is designed to give back some control to people living with dementia – it is their forest, and they can experiment with it and enjoy it. This is a deliberately personal experience, but one that can be shared with carers or other residents.The Virtual Forest uses the Orbbec motion sensor to allow users to provide input with nothing more than a wave of their hands. This means they can use natural, easy motions to control interactive elements in the forest.
The Virtual Forest has a number of interactive elements for users to interact with:Mother duck & ducklings
School of koi fish
Monarch butterfly
Dragonfly
Boat
Season change from autumn to springTo learn more about The Virtual Forest, contact our Customer Relations team, Centre for Dementia Learning on 03 9816 5708 or dementialearningsupport@dementia.org.au.For technical support, call Jim Pyatt on 03 9816 5715 or email jim.pyatt@dementia.org.au
Please note this is an intensive graphics game and therefore may not work on older computers or computers which do not meet the hardware requirements.Screens/monitors are recommended to be as large as possible – preferably, home theatre setups with a projector or large screen.
Sponsor Major donors BB and A Miller Foundation Norman and Betty Lees Grosvenor Foundation Miss Ann Miller Mr Brian Moore Donors Petrica Petrovich Dr Tanya Petrovich Ms Therese Caine Ms Barbara Potter OAM Mrs Patricia Warren Petch Lions Club and Murrabit and District Ms Kay Ehrenberg Ms Lisa Romano Ms Joanna Cosgriff Ms Joan Hammonds Ms Sarah James Kirsty Hughes - Dementia-Friendly Home App
The Dementia-Friendly Home App
The Dementia-Friendly Home App is available for tablets and mobile phones. Using interactive 3D game technology Unreal Engine, the app provides carers with ideas to make their home more accessible for people living with dementia. Many of the app suggestions are small, inexpensive solutions ranging to more significant changes.
With 70 per cent of people with dementia living in the community, the app enables the home to be made more dementia-friendly. This can allow the person to stay in their own home, enjoy their regular lifestyle activities and remain engaged with their community for longer.
The Dementia-Friendly Home App is available for iPad/iPhones on the iTunes App Store for $2.99.
That’s less than a cup of coffee!
Click below do download the app for your device:
The Dementia-Friendly Home App was developed through funding by the joint Commonwealth and State Government Home and Community Care program. The Deakin Software and Technology Innovation Laboratory (DSTIL) worked with Dementia Australia to develop this technology.
- PARO Seal
PARO - Robotic Seal
PARO is an interactive robotic baby seal. This cuddly and responsive robot provides undemanding interactions and can deliver outcomes similar to animal-assisted therapy for people living with dementia.
PARO has been shown to have a positive psychological effect on people living with dementia, improving their relaxation and motivation. It can also improve the socialisation of patients with each other and with caregivers and family members.
Developed in Japan, PARO responds to touch, light, temperature, positioning, sound, and can even learn common words over time, such as its chosen name.
Alzheimer’s Australia Vic has 2 PARO seals available for hire for $25 per week (Monday – Friday); weekends are free if PARO is booked for consecutive weeks.
PARO must be picked up and returned from our Parkville office between the hours of 9am and 5pm.
For hire availability and bookings contact our Technology Support Administrator Jim Pyatt: dementialearningsupport@dementia.org.au or tel: 03 9816 5715
- A Better Visit App
A Better Visit App
A better visit’ is a free to download app for iPads featuring a range of two-player games designed to enhance communication and facilitate positive social interactions between people with dementia and their visitors.
The App is designed to help families have a ‘Better Visit’ with their family member living in residential care. Often family members struggle to interact and engage with a family member who no longer recognises them. This application assists with engaging the family members and results in a ‘Better Visit’ for everyone.
‘A Better Visit’ App is available for FREE for iPad through the App Store
Click below do download the app for your device:
Suggested game guidelines.
Share the experience as much as possible. While you may need to explain games and read out questions try to play together as equal players. Engage your co-player as much as possible by demonstrating, gently guiding, encouraging and turn taking.
Find the right activity at the right time. There might be games one of you is not interested in or days where an activity away from the iPad is preferred. This is ok and should be respected.
Be flexible and explorative. There is no right or wrong way to play, or requirement to complete games. Come up with ways that engage both of you, the main purpose is to have fun together or engage in a conversation prompted by the visuals or music. Don’t necessarily insist on playing according to rules.
Engage in conversations. Ask one question at a time (even if there are several listed). Don’t leave all the questions to your co-player; show initiative and tell some stories yourself.
A Better Visit app does not collect data. For more information on Dementia Australia’s Privacy Policy click here.
Acknowledgments
A Better Visit has been developed in collaboration by Dementia Australia, Lifeview Residential Care and Swinburne University of Technology’s Future Self and Design Living Lab. The interactive games were designed in a co-creative process with people living with moderate and advanced dementia and their visitors.
Special thanks to all participating residents, families and Lifeview staff who helped in co-designing and evaluating the app.
Exceptional Quality
Excellent use of technology in dementia learning
It recalled my memories