Photo by Deb Gau Mary Mitzner helped Gene Beavers put on equipment like headphones, glasses and gloves that helped simulate symptoms of dementia, before a Virtual Dementia Tour on Monday.

MARSHALL — The people stepping into a room at Boulder Creek Assisted Living on Monday each had a to-do list to finish. For physician assistant Gene Beavers, the list included tasks like taking three pills out of two different mock pill bottles sitting on a counter.

But counting out the pills was a struggle. Beavers was wearing gloves that made it hard to grip things, and his vision was limited by special glasses. All of the equipment simulated some of the symptoms that people with dementia can experience. It was part of a “Virtual Dementia Tour” event going on this week at Boulder Creek.

“It is a pretty powerful thing,” said Jan Mason, assisted living director at Boulder Creek. Mason said she hoped that taking the tours would help caregivers and family get a sense of what people with dementia are going through.

Mason said taking the virtual dementia tour can be an emotional experience.

“Some people are very quiet. Some people have fear,” she said. “Some people have greater empathy and understanding. That’s my hope.”

Mason said Boulder Creek held virtual dementia tours in 2018 and 2019, but had to pause during the COVID pandemic.

“We feel now that we’re able to bring it back,” she said.

Participants in the tour put on equipment like special glasses, headphones and gloves that alter their senses. Each piece of equipment helps simulate some of the possible symptoms of dementia. For example, wearing the glasses creates a sense of tunnel vision, Mason said. The gloves help simulate the numbness people can feel in their hands when they have neuropathy.

The sounds playing in the headphones simulated a couple of different things, Mason explained. People can hear crackling sounds like static if they’re having problems with a hearing aid. Hearing sounds like voices that aren’t there can also be a symptom of dementia, she said.

Not every person with dementia has exactly the same symptoms, said Mary Mitzner, nurse case manager at Boulder Creek. They might not experience all the simulated symptoms on the tour.

“These are elements of what they may experience,” she said.

Once they’re wearing the devices, tour participants are given 12 minutes to try and finish a series of tasks. The tasks include everyday activities, like putting on a coat, setting a table or counting change.

Beavers said it was frustrating trying to accomplish the tasks in the virtual tour. But he said the experience did give him perspective for his work in health care. For a patient, carrying out a task isn’t always as simple as “just do this,” he said.

“It’s all these little steps,” Beavers said.

“You have to slow everything down,” Mason said of going through the tour experience.

Before and after the virtual dementia tour, participants fill out a survey. They also get a chance to talk about what they’ve experienced with Boulder Creek staff.

Mason said being able to take the virtual tour was something that gave her a new perspective, as well. Mason said she learned a lot when her mother was diagnosed with early-onset dementia, but the tour was still meaningful.

“For the first time I understood in my head, and I understood in my heart, a little bit of what she went through,” Mason told the Independent last week. She thought it would be important to be able to share that experience with others.

Boulder Creek is offering virtual dementia tours by appointment through Friday. People interested in taking a virtual dementia tour can call 507-401-3637.

Later this month, Boulder Creek will also be holding an event to “Shine the Light on Dementia.” Caregivers of people with dementia can gather and reflect on their loved ones’ journeys. Weather permitting, the event will be at 6 p.m. on Nov. 15, under the awning in front of Boulder Creek Assisted Living in Marshall. Refreshments will be served afterward.