Heartbreaking simulation shows what it feels like to have dementia
A heartbreaking simulation shows what it's like through the eyes of someone living with dementia.
The Alzheimer's Research posted a clip on YouTube showing what it feels like for someone with dementia to walk home, struggling to make sense of what’s around them.
The charity originally released the video back in 2016, but it’s still just as relevant today.
According to the Alzheimer's Society, there are approximately 982,000 people living with dementia in the UK and this is projected to rise to 1.4 million in 2040.
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Take a look at Alzheimer’s Research UK's 360 simulation below:
In the video, we see the world through the eyes of a woman with dementia as she tries to navigate her way home.
Her son Joe is walking with her but, after he steps away to take a brief phone call, she continues on her own.
However, along the way she experiences difficulty concentrating and confusion about where she is. For example, she takes what she believes is a familiar shortcut until shortly after, she feels she doesn't recognise it at all.
At one point, she mistakes a stranger for her son, feeling a brief moment of relief before reality sets in again.
At the end of the clip, the son says his goodbye as the woman is left in her apartment and the unsettling feeling lingers - not just for her, but for anyone watching.
On their website, Alzheimer’s Research UK explained how the condition works. “Dementia is a misunderstood condition," they wrote. “Many people believe it’s just a by-product of ageing.
“We tend to not think beyond memory loss when it comes to symptoms.
The continued: “The reality is that dementia is a condition caused by diseases, most commonly Alzheimer’s, that damage different areas of the brain leading to a variety of challenging symptoms.
“Because dementia is so complex, and each person’s experience of it is unique, we can’t tell every story, but we hope the one we tell through A Walk Through Dementia will help you think a little differently about dementia.”
In a new study, scientists have explained how the warning signs might show up years before a diagnosis.
A study published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association found that patients who were later diagnosed with dementia had already been showing subtle cognitive difficulties up to nine years earlier.
"The impairments were often subtle, but across a number of aspects of cognition," study author Nol Swaddiwudhipong, a junior doctor at the University of Cambridge, explained.
"This is a step towards us being able to screen people who are at greatest risk - for example, people over 50 or those who have high blood pressure or do not do enough exercise - and intervene at an earlier stage to help them reduce their risk."