The Virtual Dementia Tour: Experiential Learning for MSW Students

Overview: Using findings from a focus group, this presentation explores the impact of The Virtual Dementia Tour, a hands-on sensory simulation that provides insight into caring for people with dementia, on MSW students’ attitudes towards older adults with dementia.Proposal text:

Background:
With the growing aging population in the U.S., social workers need specialized training to work with older adults; however most social work programs contain little to no geriatric training in their curriculum (Institute of Medicine, 2008). In 2019, only 4.3% of MSW students named aging or gerontology as their educational concentration (Salsberg et al., 2020). Despite the lack of specialized preparation, many social workers still serve older persons in their social work roles (NASW, 2006). Gerontology education can improve students’ attitudes and interests about older adults and aging (Chonody, 2018). Additionally, incorporation of geriatric education supports higher recruitment of practitioners and elevated health care services to aging Americans. Specifically, Kane (1999) found that social work students with acquired knowledge on Alzheimer’s disease were more willing to work with older adults living with dementia than their peers without this knowledge.

The Virtual Dementia Tour (VDT), an evidence-based training used internationally since 2001, is a hands-on sensory simulation that provides insight into caring for people with dementia (Peng et al., 2020). The Tour allows participants to engage in a simulation of the physical and mental challenges those with dementia experience. Participants can then use this experience to provide empathetic, person-centered care (Peng et al., 2020). This study explores the impact of the VDT on MSW students’ attitudes towards older adults with dementia.

Methods:
A collaborative effort between a university and community-based organization led to MSW students participating in the VDT in October 2021 and February 2022. Students from health-related social work classes participated in the VDT training where they engaged in exercises that simulate what it may feel like to attempt activities of daily living with dementia. Following the simulation, students engaged in a debriefing session with the VDT trainers about their experiences. A week after the training, these students were invited to participate in a focus group to further discuss their experiences in the training. The focus group was recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for common themes. Students also completed a survey about their attitudes towards individuals with dementia.

Results:
A total of 33 MSW students participated in the focus groups. Students reported an increased understanding of and deeper empathy towards older adults with dementia. Additionally, some students reported feeling less confident about being able to provide appropriate care to individuals with dementia now that they had a better understanding of the broader impact of the disease. This resulted in students asking for more resources and information on how to best support older adults with dementia. Students shared how the experiential learning activity had many emotional impacts and deepened the learning experience.

Conclusion:
Findings highlight the importance of providing geriatric educational experiences to MSW students to increase their awareness and understanding of older adults with dementia. Moreover, students and faculty learned about gaps in training needed to provide effective care for this population. Last, social work programs should consider ways they can incorporate more geriatric educational opportunities into their curriculum to expose more students to work with older adults.