With VR glasses you can experience in Dokkum what people with Alzheimer’s face. ‘You can do two things. Run away or help’

“Apples, bread, milk and butter.” With those words the VR experience in Museum Dokkum begins. This is followed by a PIN code: 1-9-4-1. As soon as you put on the glasses, you will be in the local Jumbo. You look through the eyes of someone with Alzheimer’s who goes shopping.

Strange things happen while shopping. Lights flicker on the ground and question marks float above the fruit and vegetable shelves. “How was the wedding yesterday?” you are asked by someone you meet. Who is this, you think, and you can’t remember anything about a wedding either.

Since the end of April, visitors to Museum Dokkum have been able to experience what goes on in the mind of someone with Alzheimer’s every Wednesday and Saturday afternoon. The experience is an initiative of Ik ben Wil, a foundation founded in Dokkum that draws attention to Alzheimer’s and organizes activities for people with the disease.

Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, a disease that seriously reduces mental capacity. Someone with the disease has difficulty performing daily tasks such as dressing, cooking or shopping.

During the disease process, both the number and severity of complaints increase. There is no cure for dementia. Ultimately, a patient dies from the consequences of the disease. Patients live an average of 6.5 years with a form of the disease.

With the VR glasses, I am Wil wants to let people experience what patients encounter. The glasses are part of the exhibition ‘Alzheimer’s is worn together’, which has been on display in the museum since the end of March. The exhibition is about I am Wil.

Run away or come to the rescue

“There are videos about what it’s like to have Alzheimer’s, but these glasses really put you in the middle of it,” says foundation founder Titus Vogt (60) about the VR experience. “Then you really experience it differently.”

Vogt thinks it is important that people can empathize with patients with the disease. “If you see a confused person, you can do two things. Run away or help. This VR experience shows how valuable it can be to help such a person.”

In addition, according to Vogt, it also initiates a conversation about a major social problem. “The number of people with Alzheimer’s is growing. And not only because the number of elderly people in the Netherlands is increasing, the number of young people with the disease is also growing.”

The number of people with dementia in the Netherlands was estimated by Alzheimer Netherlands in 2021 at 290,000 people. That number is expected to rise to half a million by 2040. The disease is more common in women than in men, and the risk of the disease increases sharply with age. While people over 65 have an 8 percent chance of developing the disease, this is already 25 percent for people over 80. People over the age of 90 have a 40 percent chance of developing the disease.

Lost shopping cart

Once on the shelves of the virtual supermarket, you have lost your shopping cart and can no longer remember what you had to buy. Everyone stares at you. Vogt: “People with Alzheimer’s often experience that. They don’t really get stared at, but they do get that feeling. Like everyone is looking at them because they’re confused.” An employee asks if he can help you. Vogt: “A simple question, but extremely valuable for someone who is confused.”

The VR experience was developed last March, but the idea has been around for much longer. Already in 2020, when the foundation was founded, Vogt approached parties about creating a VR experience. He came into contact with various parties, but the quotes ran into thousands of euros. “Impossible for us as a local foundation.”

Free and local

Ultimately, the experience was developed free of charge by the regional companies Klik en Beleef, a company that creates virtual tours, and Social Development Company Dokwurk, which helps people in the Northeast Fryslân region to participate in the labor market.

Both parties mention the local aspect of the project as a reason to develop the experience free of charge. “At Dokwurk we like to act as a connector in the region,” says Tonny van den Berg (35), project coordinator at Dokwurk. “This project fits in perfectly with that and shows what you can achieve when you bring the right people together.” Kees Kool (38) from Klik en Beleef agrees. “The local collaboration on this project is unique. Similar projects can take months to complete. This project was developed in one month. That just underlines what we are capable of as a region.”

In addition to Dokwurk and Klik en Beleef, Firda students from the Care and Welfare course were also involved in the project. “And a lot of volunteers,” says Vogt proudly. “It has really become a local project.”

After the exhibition ends in June, the VR experience will not be thrown into the trash bin, if it is up to the parties involved. Vogt hopes to be able to use the glasses more widely. “A Frisian healthcare institution has already shown interest in using the glasses to train employees. And the VR experience could also be well integrated into healthcare education.”

Once you arrive at the checkout of the VR experience, there are products on the counter that were not on your list at all. The cashier will help you friendly. Finally, you must enter your PIN code. A clever person who still knows that.