The virtual dementia tour bus came to Caremark (Aylesbury & Wycombe)

On Thursday 26 September, visitors flocked to a dementia awareness day hosted by Caremark (Aylesbury & Wycombe), one of Buckinghamshire's leading home care companies, at its office in Aston Abbotts to coincide with World Alzheimer’s Month.

A Virtual Dementia Tour, provided by Training2Care in a special mobile dementia simulator at the event, saw participants clad in goggles and headphones then taken through an instructor-led, eight-minute immersive sensory experience comparable to dementia.

Among those who attended was Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, Lord-Lieutenant for Buckinghamshire, Chief Magistrate of the County and Chairman of the Advisory Committee.

“I’m about to turn 74, so I find it very interesting to learn more about the problems people experience when they get older,” said Sir Henry. “On the tour, we were asked to complete simple tasks, such as buttoning up a shirt, in the dark amidst flashing lights and confusing noises. It was disorientating and extremely frightening to think that’s what dementia is really like. I’d like to thank Caremark for inviting me and for its warm hospitality.”

The Virtual Dementia Tour was popular with visitors, including people from the local community keen to learn about dementia and caring for loved ones with the condition.

Janis Anderson, Caremark Aylesbury & Wycombe’s managing director, commented: “It was fantastic to see so many faces at our dementia awareness day. The virtual tour was a resounding success, and it was also lovely to spend a day talking to new people about dementia needs, sharing their own personal experiences of dementia. I’d like to thank everyone who came, and Training2Care’s instructor who worked extremely hard to deliver a meaningful experience.”

The Alzheimer’s Society joined in on the day, as well as many of Caremark’s front-line carers, who took part in the tour as a valuable training exercise.

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