Bluebird Care’s Immersive Experience Bus comes to Northside Shopping Centre on the Oscar Traynor Road in Coolock, on Monday 14 September, bringing the Virtual Dementia Tour to north Dublin for a day.
The tour is a simulation, not a talk. Participants wear equipment that changes how they see, hear and feel, then try to carry out simple everyday tasks inside the bus.
Most people manage very little. Afterwards a trained facilitator walks them through what happened and why, and what it means for the person with dementia in their own family.
The Virtual Dementia Tour was developed in the United States by Second Wind Dreams and is used by care providers and health services in Ireland and the UK to train staff.
Bluebird Care is opening it to families and the wider community across north Dublin for the day. This year the roadshow is primarily focused on schools, colleges and other educational facilities.
Broadcaster Teresa Mannion, who joined Bluebird Care this year as a National Awareness Partner, will be at Northside for the day.
She spent decades reporting from Irish towns and parishes, which is exactly where home care happens, and her role is to tell the stories of the carers, families and communities at the heart of it.
Teresa will meet families going through the tour and talk to them about what they experienced.
Bluebird Care’s aim is to turn a few minutes of understanding into practical changes at home.
The tour highlights the everyday stressors that can distress a person living with dementia, such as noise, glare, clutter and rushed routines, and the simple adjustments that reduce anxiety and support independence.
“Dementia is something you have to feel to understand,” said Mark McInerney, Chief Operating Officer, Bluebird Care.
“Our carers go through this training so they know what they are walking into every morning.
“Bringing the bus to north Dublin means families and neighbours can go through it too, and every person who does comes out a better carer for someone they love.”
The experience is free and open to the public from 10am to 4.30pm. Members of the Bluebird Care Dublin North team will be on site throughout the day to answer questions and signpost supports for families, carers and professionals seeking advice on home care services across north Dublin.
The bus continues to Blanchardstown on Tuesday 15 September, Walkinstown on Wednesday 16 September and Navan on Friday 18 September.