Virtual Dementia Tour to travel to five locations across Ireland during Carers Week 2019

Right at Home bringing tour to Ireland to build understanding and empathy around dementia.

Right at Home, one of Ireland’s leading homecare providers, will bring the Virtual Dementia Tour to five locations across the country next month, as part of Carers Week 2019. The tour provides visitors with the opportunity to experience first-hand what life is like for those who have been diagnosed with dementia.

Right at Home announced details of the tour today (21.05.19) at a launch in their Dublin head office.

The Virtual Dementia Tour bus will travel to five locations around Ireland between 10th and 13th June, and anyone with an interest in dementia can visit – free of charge.

Announcing details of the tour today, David McKone, Managing Director of Right at Home, said: “The Virtual Dementia Tour is designed to provide visitors with a greater understanding of the difficulties experienced by people living with dementia. Visitors have vision, touch and sound distorted in a similar way to someone with dementia. This builds not only their understanding of the condition, but also their empathy for people affected by dementia.

“At Right at Home, our carers look after hundreds of people nationwide whose lives are affected by dementia. We are inviting our staff-members and other medical and care professionals, our clients and their families, and anyone with an interest in this condition to attend the Virtual Dementia Tour at any of the five locations around the country during Carers Week.

“At right at Home, we pride ourselves on the ever-evolving role of our carers and recognise the specific skillset required for caring for clients with dementia. As an organisation, we’re constantly seeking out and providing the best training methods and we feel the immersive nature of the Virtual Dementia Tour will further bolster our staff’s understanding of the challenges for people with dementia.“

Tour Locations

The Virtual Dementia Tour will begin in Blanchardstown – at Right at Home’s head office, Patricia Lodge, Main Street, Blanchardstown (opposite the Garda Station) – on Monday, 10th June, running from 9.30am to 5pm. It will then move on to:

- Rathfarmham Shopping Centre Car Park, Butterfield Avenue, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14: 9.30am to 12 noon on Tuesday, 11th June;

 - Tesco Car Park, Moorefield, Cork Rd, Newbridge, Co. Kildare: 3pm to 5pm on Tuesday, 11th June;

 - Douglas Court Shopping Centre (front entrance), Douglas, Co. Cork: 9.30am to 5pm on Wednesday, 12th June; and

 - Right at Home Galway, 7, Mulvoy Park, Sean Mulvoy Road, Co. Galway: 9.30am to 5pm on Thursday, 13th June.

Caring for People with Dementia

There are approximately 55,000 people in Ireland with dementia, and this figure is expected to double by 2036. Right at Home delivers care to many clients who have been diagnosed with some form of the condition – giving support to them, and their families, in the comfort of their own homes.

At today’s launch, Siobhan Gantly, Assistant Care Manager for Right at Home in Galway, spoke of how her own family’s experience of dementia influenced her decision to become a carer.

“Both of my grandmothers had dementia, so I saw first-hand how it affects people – and also the impact it has on their wider circle of family and friends,” she said. “Since I began working as a professional carer, I have developed my interest in dementia care further. At Right at Home, we are building up very specialist expertise in this area across our nationwide team.

“From my own experience of caring for people with dementia, I believe building understanding and empathy is key to providing the best standards of care. The Virtual Dementia Tour is an excellent way to achieve this: it provides a unique and immersive learning experience for all those who want to find out more about what it is like to live with dementia.”