24
JAN/FEB 2015
Raising Awareness and
Empathy About Dementia
Virtual Tour helps give seniors a
Second Wind
by Charles Sebastian, Staff Writer
Second Wind Dreams is a program specializing in raising awareness about dementia and memory
loss. According to its Website,
Second Wind Dreams is “an international, nonprofit organization
dedicated to changing the perception of aging through the fulfillment of dreams and the offering of
educational programs, including
its flagship sensitivity training, the
Virtual Dementia Tour.”
Through the Virtual Dementia
Tour (VDT), participants get as
close an experience as possible of
what it would be like to live with
dementia. This includes sensory
alteration and the loss of normal
body control and function. Proceeds from the VDT go to fund
dreams of the elderly, similar to
the Make-a-Wish Foundation for
critically ill children.
The VDT can be administered
to single participants or in groups.
It can be invaluable to nurses,
home health practitioners, doctors and many other health care
providers who are tasked daily
with understanding the people for
whom they are caring. Dementia
can be very frustrating to the
person dealing with the disease,
as well as to those around them.
The loss of memory, identity and
the ability to use the senses to
function are all incomprehensible
to the person who has never experienced any of these issues.
Second Wind Dreams has
become part of more than 400
Yellow/ Wildcat Cab
Now offering
wheelchair accessible vans
Since 1934 Yellow/Wildcat Cab has been growing with the community
As always we are looking forward to serving you
eldercare communities in more
than 40 states and Canada. It is a
501(c)(3), so donations to fund
dreams are tax deductible. The
program has been active since
1997. It was taken from the novel,
“Second Wind Dreams,” by geriatric specialist P.K. Beville.
“The biggest eye opener to me
was the Virtual Dementia Tour,”
said Mary Alexander, director of
nursing at the Curry House, which
specializes in assisting those dealing with dementia and memory
loss. “Prior to the VDT, I really
didn’t understand why things were
the way they were. It really gives
you a feeling of what dementia is
like and gives you a perspective on
the whole situation and what [a
person’s] capabilities are and how
to care for them.”
Bonita Mayoral agreed. “We
could see that my father-in-law,
who lived about 60 miles away
from us, was getting closer to
needing some care,” she said. “My
husband and I did some research
and we found Curry House. The
Virtual Dementia Tour was very
disorienting and you feel at a
loss. You just don’t know how to
handle what’s in front of you.”
Molly Osborne, director of
marketing at Curry House, gives
the program rave reviews. “We
purchased our kit from Second
Wind and started using it immediately,” she said. “The whole point
of the Virtual Dementia Tour is to
give you some idea of the physical
and cognitive impairments that
go along with some dementia and
DEMENTIA Continued on Page 31