Brunelcare’s Deerhurst Care Home has invested in a dementia empathy suit that helps carers understand what it may be like to live with dementia. 

After taking part in Dementia Empathy Training delivered by training provider Alive, the Bristol care home decided to buy its own dementia empathy suit.

The suit has weights around the ankles and knee pads to restrict the movement and speed of the wearer, while tinted goggles affect peripheral vision and the perception of colour. Gloves are connected to a machine that makes hands shake, disrupting control of movements and coordination. Headphones play a continuous tinnitus sound, and a neck brace reduces the full and able movement of the neck.

Lesley Hobbs, manager at Deerhurst Care Home, said: “The suit is amazing and so insightful. It was fascinating, and I believe all of our carers should experience the suit as part of an induction process.”

Sixty Deerhurst employees have taken part in Dementia Empathy Training.