Carers given first hand experience of having autism or dementia through 4D reality experience

Carers have been given a first-hand experience of having autism or dementia through a new 4D reality experience.

It’s hoped it’ll give those working in the care sector a better understanding of the patients they care for.

Kirsty Davies wanted to try out the Autism Reality Experience to see first-hand what it’s like to live with the spectrum disorder.

Her 18-year-old son, Keegan, is autistic and until now she’s never been able to fully understand what daily life is like for him.

Kirsty told STV News: “I don’t really understand how the sensory overload can affect the brain and that’s quite helpful to know how he is when there’s too much noise and how he can sort of drift off.

“He’s also got a hearing problem and he’ll say that he can’t hear what’s going on but then that’s probably his autism and his hearing working together and he’s not aware of what’s happening.”

During the training, people are given a 4D interactive experience of the sensory processing difficulties faced by people on the autism spectrum.

Kirsty Davies with Stewart Holdaway from Training2Care outside the reality experience bus. STV News

The training is run by Training2Care which is based in Essex, but this week it’s been touring in Scotland after being organised by care company, Eidyn Care

Olaitan Emili-Bob works for SSCN Healthcare and says it’s a handy tool for those working in the care sector.

“Going into the bus I had expectations and when I went in there and I did what I had to do, it was quite an experience,” Olaitan said. “It’s mind blowing and it puts me in a position to understand better what people living with this condition feel and how they feel.

“So I have a better understanding of how to support people like that and to be more empathetic with them.”

The Autism Reality Experience was developed following the success of the Virtual Dementia Tour, which gives people the opportunity to see what it might be like living with Dementia.

Both experiences followed extensive research of people with dementia and autism to help create the training courses and both have taken place in Lochgelly this week.

Stewart Holdaway from Training2Care said: “When we’re working with people it’s important that we have an understanding and especially in the care environment.

“We need to tailor make our care towards people on an individual basis and if we don’t know what they’re going through, what they’re experiencing, how can we give the best care?”