It's estimated that one in 10 people
will develop Alzheimer's in their lifetime.
It's a complex and terrifying disease
that devastates individuals as well as their loved ones.
Yet despite medical advancements,
there is no cure.
So, how do we face this dire diagnosis
when it comes to the people we hold dearest?
(dramatic music)
Tsunami of the 21st Century.
The term describes the wave of people
in the U.S. who are living longer
than previous generations.
And while this longevity is great news,
there's growing concern that our health care system
is unprepared to handle the impact
of the aging population.
Particularly Alzheimer's disease.
(mumbles) Intruder!
Tell them to leave!
One possible solution is virtual reality.
It shows people life through the patient's eyes.
You remember me, right?
Remember when I got to wear
your wedding dress to my wedding?
Users experience memory loss,
agitation, and hallucinations that present
in late stages of the disease.
So, can VR teach more empathy
in a world so hard to understand?
(dramatic music)
We're going to try out these VR headsets
to better understand what someone with Alzheimer's
disease goes through.
But first, I want to introduce Carrie Shaw
the founder of Embodied Labs.
And thank you so much for being here
and we're excited to use these VR headsets.
But what inspired you to create this experience?
When I was in my teens
and then when I was a college freshman,
my mom got diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
So, starting that journey with her
for myself at age 19
I responded by feeling afraid and confused.
And I was afraid to go home.
I was afraid to interact and spend time with her,
and what I really wanted was the tool
that Embodied Labs has been able to create today,
which a way to actually connect with the person
and not just the disease.
But at the same time,
really understand the brain and behaviors
through the eyes of living with this.
What I would've wanted was to gain more insight,
and connection, and empathy
so that I can more quickly
understood what my mom was going through
and gotten onboard as a part of her care team
as soon as possible.
That's remarkable that you did that.
(applauding)
And I think it is so important to develop empathy.
So we can better understand how this process works,
docs why don't we put on the virtual reality headsets
and then, Carrie if you don't mind,
walk us through.
Yeah, tell us
what we're goin' to...
The scenario.
So, you're seeing, right now that you're in a park
and this is in the early stages
of what we call the Beatrice Lab.
So, we put together interviews of hundreds
of people living with dementia and their care teams.
And what happens early on is sometimes a person
feels more disconnected from their world.
Or like right now
she actually didn't recognize her grandson for a moment
and so she wasn't able to keep him safe
as he was crawling across the table.
And then now you guys are talking with your grandson
and he's excited about Easter coming up.
And so, the grandson's asking,
are you going to make your famous cake like you always do?
Which then takes you to the grocery store,
where as you guys can see you're looking at a list
and if you look at your hands
you can see you're actually embodying this person.
And so, you can reach out and grave those flowers
to your right and you can put them
into your grocery cart.
And on the list you actually see you're confusing
the word flour with baking flour,
which is really common in early stages
when you're losing your language processing skills.
So, the experience is really helping us understand
not just what we all think of, maybe,
as later stages of the disease.
But really the journey that a person goes through.
I think this is a really amazing way
to help us understand.
And not be fearful but just have more empathy
for what they must going through.
Yeah, I think if my mom taught me anything
when I finally did go home
and take care of her for a couple of years
every day it was about meeting her where she was at
and really being in the moment with her.
And I think this tool lets you do that.
It lets really think about where someone else
is and how do you change your behavior
to help enable them to be empowered
and live their best lives.
(applauding)
That is such an important piece of this puzzle.
