For people who might wonder what life with dementia is like, HomePlace has found a way to show them.

One way they ensure their caregivers empathize with their patients as much as possible is to promote a deep understanding of the diseases.

On Sept. 10, HomePlace will be holding a Virtual Dementia Tour for staff, family members of their residents and some medical professionals.

This tour is designed to let people experience what it’s like to have dementia for a brief period of time.

“It gives families, caregivers, health professionals, the opportunity to just have a small glimpse into the life of a person with dementia and the frustration they deal with every day as their disease progresses,” said Karen Cowgill, marketing director of HomePlace.

This Virtual Dementia Tour has been going on across the country for years now, according to Cowgill. HomePlace is partnering with Right At Home, which offers at-home care for seniors, to bring the program to Oak Harbor.

Though the tour on Sept. 10 is selective on who can participate, HomePlace plans on another tour open to the public Sept. 23.

Cowgill said that it takes about 15 or 20 minutes to complete. She said the tour involves hindering the five senses and giving a participant a few tasks to do with those limitations, in a limited amount of time.

Mary Gould, executive director of HomePlace, went through this tour a few years ago in Canada. She said when she participated, they put Vaseline over her glasses, except for a small hole to see through; put barley in her shoes, making walking difficult and painful; and they tied a hand behind her back.

Her task was to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

“This class, I think, teaches you what it really feels like,” Gould said.

Cowgill said that participants will find it difficult to complete their assigned tasks and might not be able to complete them at all.

“It gives you a better understanding of their frustration and their anger and the overwhelming sense of helplessness they feel,” Cowgill said. “It can change how you’re approaching them.”

The idea behind giving people this experience is that the increased understanding will help caregivers have more patience with the people in their care.

Gould said that many patients don’t realize they have these limitations and try to do tasks beyond their abilities.

Jennifer Moody, who works at HomePlace, said that the class “kind of gives you that confused feeling … and to see how hard it is to follow easy step-by-step things.”

“It just gives you a real eye-opening experience,” Cowgill said.