Rendever, a provider of virtual reality (VR) solutions aimed at helping seniors overcome social isolation, has this week announced the launch of a new dementia and empathy training program for senior living professionals and caregivers.
The VR program uses interactive scenarios to help individuals understand the symptoms and lived experiences of dementia, including cognitive decline, perceptual changes, and executive function loss.
The training is aimed at encouraging more compassionate and responsive caregiving practices, and enables caregivers to step into the perspective of someone with dementia, allowing them to see, hear, and feel how their patients might experience things.
The VR scenarios feature real-time guidance from an AI companion named Nova, along with a symptom library that highlights perceptual shifts, hallucinations, “black holes,” and other dementia-related experiences. According to Rendever, Nova helps personalize the process, with a goal of strengthening empathy, emotional connection, and staff engagement.
“Empathy is much more than a buzzword; it’s fundamental to care,” said Kyle Rand, Cofounder and CEO of Rendever. “This new dementia and empathy training program gives teams an accessible, hands-on experience to understand the symptomology of dementia and provide better care centered on empathy. Based on early industry feedback, we are excited to see this deployed for staff, families, and broader community outreach efforts in a way that will help society better understand dementia.”
Rendever stated that its program can be incorporated into onboarding, refresher training, and specialized empathy workshops for caregivers. The company added that it also facilitates new avenues for families to engage and connect with loved ones affected by dementia, and cited a study that examined the effects of VR on older adults with dementia and their family members, suggesting that VR can support both residents and their wider care networks.
“Families can now walk into a local community and have a unique opportunity to understand the challenges their loved ones face,” added Rand. “This immersive experience opens a window into the world of their loved ones living with dementia.”
For more information on Rendever and its VR solutions for senior living, please visit the company’s website.
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Foto: Rendever
