A Walk Through Dementia

A Walk Through Dementia is an innovative virtual reality app developed by Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity.

Optimised for use with a Google Cardboard headset, but can also be experienced headset-free, the immersive app puts you in the shoes of someone with dementia to give an insight into the varied symptoms people with dementia can experience in everyday life. Please note that A Walk Through Dementia will only work on devices equipped with a gyroscope for cardboard compatibility. You can still experience A Walk Through Dementia in YouTube 360 videos at http://www.awalkthroughdementia.org/.

Voiced by Dame Harriet Walter, and with an introduction from Jon Snow, A Walk Through Dementia is designed to help users think beyond memory loss to gain a fuller understanding of the practical and emotional impact of the condition. The app uses a combination of computer generated environments and 360 degree video sequences to illustrate in powerful detail how even the most everyday task of making a cup of tea can become a challenge for someone with dementia.

Unfolding over three scenarios, the user is tasked with buying ingredients, taking them home and making a cup of tea for their family. A supermarket environment reveals difficulties at the checkout, counting money, reading the shopping list, busy environments and finding items.

A second street sequence illustrates problems people with dementia may face with navigation, visual-spatial problems and disorientation.

Finally, back at home, making tea for visiting family presents challenges around memorising instructions, visual symptoms and coordination problems.

Developed with the help of people living with dementia, and with support from UCL’s Dementia Research Centre, A Walk Through Dementia from Alzheimer’s Research UK is an innovative, free and unique perspective on a condition that affects 850,000 people in the UK.