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Dementia sensory simulation exercises for caregivers

Key points

  • Sensory simulation builds deep empathy by letting you briefly experience the visual, auditory, and tactile distortions your loved one lives with daily.
  • Keep simulations short (5-10 minutes) and always follow with reflection to connect the experience to your caregiving.
  • Use simple tools like distorted goggles, thick gloves, and earplugs to create realistic approximations of dementia-related sensory changes.
  • Personalize the simulation based on the type and stage of dementia—Lewy body, late-stage, early-stage—and your role as a caregiver.
  • The goal is not to suffer but to understand; use your insights to adapt your communication, environment, and expectations.
  • Share your simulation experience with other caregivers or care team members to build a shared language of empathy and better care.

General caregiving information, not medical advice. Check medications and major care changes with your clinician.

Step-by-step

  1. Start with vision simulation. Put on a pair of sunglasses smeared with petroleum jelly or use a pair of swim goggles with the lenses partially covered with tape to reduce peripheral vision. Walk around your home for 5-10 minutes. Notice how you have to turn your head more to see things. Try to find a cup on the counter or read a label. Pay attention to how much effort it takes and how quickly you feel frustrated or off-balance.

  2. Next, simulate hearing loss and sound distortion. Put in earplugs or noise-canceling headphones, then play a radio or TV at low volume in another room. Ask someone to speak to you from a few feet away, but have them talk quickly or mumble slightly. Notice how you have to strain to understand, how you might guess at words, and how exhausting it is to keep trying. This mimics the auditory processing challenges common in dementia.

  3. Create a tactile simulation. Put on thick gardening gloves or winter gloves and try to do a simple task like buttoning a shirt, picking up a coin, or opening a jar. This mimics the loss of fine motor skills and reduced tactile sensitivity. Alternatively, wear the gloves and try to feel the texture of different fabrics—notice how everything feels muted and clumsy.

  4. Simulate proprioception changes. Stand on a soft cushion or foam mat with your eyes closed for 30 seconds. Try to balance on one foot. Then walk slowly across the room while looking at the floor through the distorted goggles. Notice how your body feels unsure of where it is, how you might reach out for walls, and how you compensate by moving more slowly. This mirrors the balance and spatial awareness difficulties many people with dementia experience.

  5. Combine two or more simulations at once. For example, wear the distorted goggles and the thick gloves while trying to pour a glass of water. Or wear earplugs and the gloves while trying to follow a simple recipe. This layered approach gives you a more realistic sense of the cumulative sensory overload your loved one may face daily.

  6. After each simulation, take 2 minutes to write down or say aloud what you felt: frustration, confusion, fatigue, a desire to stop. Then ask yourself: 'If I felt this way for just 5 minutes, how must my loved one feel for hours? What would I need from someone helping me right now?' This reflection is the most important part of the exercise.

  7. Repeat the simulation in different environments: in a quiet room, in a room with the TV on, in a cluttered space, and in a tidy space. Notice how the environment dramatically changes your experience. This will help you understand why reducing clutter, lowering noise, and using calm lighting can make a world of difference for your loved one.

What not to do

  • Do not do the simulation for more than 10-15 minutes at a time. The goal is insight, not distress. Prolonged simulation can be genuinely disorienting and may leave you feeling anxious or upset, which defeats the purpose. Keep it short and then debrief.

  • Do not skip the reflection step. If you just put on the goggles and take them off without thinking about what you felt, you miss the entire point. The simulation is a tool for empathy, not a party trick. Take time to connect the experience to specific moments in your caregiving day.

  • Do not assume your simulation is exactly what your loved one experiences. Every person's dementia is unique. Your simulation is a rough approximation, not a perfect replica. Use it as a starting point for curiosity, not as a definitive map. Ask your loved one (if they can communicate) or observe their behavior more closely after your simulation.

  • Do not use the simulation as a way to prove that your loved one is 'faking' or exaggerating. If anything, the simulation will show you that the real experience is likely far more intense and persistent than what you can create. Use it to soften your heart, not harden your judgments.

  • Do not do the simulation in front of your loved one unless they are curious and consent. It could confuse or upset them if they don't understand what you are doing. Keep it private or explain it simply: 'I'm trying to understand what you see and hear better so I can help you more.'

  • Do not forget that your loved one has no 'off switch' for these sensory changes. You can take off the goggles and gloves; they cannot. This realization should deepen your patience and compassion, not make you feel hopeless. It is a call to adapt your care, not to give up.

Practical tools

  • The Distortion Goggles Kit

    Purchase or make a pair of 'dementia simulation goggles.' You can buy them online from dementia education suppliers, or make your own by taking a pair of swim goggles and covering the lenses with a thin layer of petroleum jelly or transparent tape, leaving only a small clear area in the center. This simulates the loss of peripheral vision and blurred central vision. Use these for 5-10 minutes while doing a simple task like folding laundry or setting the table. Afterward, note how much you relied on your peripheral vision and how disorienting it felt to lose it.

  • The Glove-and-Lotion Exercise

    This is a two-part tool. First, put on thick gardening gloves and try to squeeze a tube of hand lotion onto your hand. Then remove the gloves and apply the lotion normally. Notice the difference in sensation and ease. The gloved version mimics the reduced tactile feedback and fine motor challenges of dementia. The lotion itself, when applied with gentle massage, is a calming sensory activity for your loved one (as described by Kristen Galloway). Use this exercise to understand why your loved one might struggle with buttons or zippers, and why a gentle hand massage with lotion can be so soothing.

  • The 'One-Instruction' Communication Script

    After your simulation, write a short script for yourself. For example: 'Instead of saying 'Let's get dressed, brush your teeth, and come to breakfast,' I will say one thing at a time: 'Let's put on your shirt.' Then wait. Then 'Now let's brush your teeth.' Then wait.' Use this script for a full day. The simulation will have shown you how overwhelming multiple instructions feel. This tool turns that insight into a concrete change in how you communicate.

  • The Environment Audit Checklist

    Create a simple checklist based on your simulation experience. Walk through your home and ask: Is the lighting bright enough but not harsh? Are there clear paths without clutter? Is the TV or radio off when we are trying to talk? Are contrasting colors used (e.g., a dark plate on a light placemat) to help with visual processing? Use the checklist weekly. The simulation will have made you hyper-aware of environmental triggers that you might have previously ignored.

  • The 'Pause and Breathe' Card

    Print a small card or set a phone reminder that says: 'Pause. They are not being difficult. Their world is confusing. Take a breath, then try again slowly.' Place it where you will see it during stressful moments—on the fridge, in the car, or as your phone wallpaper. The simulation will have given you the emotional memory to believe this message, making it more than just a platitude.

  • The 'Simulation Journal'

    Keep a small notebook dedicated to your simulation experiences. After each session, write down: 1) What I did, 2) What I felt, 3) One thing I will change in my caregiving today. Review the journal weekly to track how your empathy and care strategies evolve. This tool turns a one-time exercise into an ongoing practice of understanding.

Discuss with your clinician

If your loved one has sudden or severe changes in vision or hearing, discuss with their doctor to rule out other causes like cataracts, ear infections, or medication side effects.

If your simulation reveals that your loved one is extremely sensitive to touch or sound, ask their occupational therapist about sensory integration strategies or a sensory diet.

If you notice that your loved one's balance or proprioception seems significantly worse than what you simulated, consult a physical therapist for a fall risk assessment and tailored exercises.

If your loved one has a history of seizures or epilepsy, do not use strobe or flashing light simulations without first discussing with their neurologist.

If you feel overwhelmed, anxious, or depressed after doing these simulations, talk to a counselor or your doctor. Caregiver emotional health is critical, and these exercises can bring up strong feelings.

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