The challenge
Shaping the future of healthcare education
Edinburgh College aimed to establish an educational environment that captivates students and nurtures the development of skills and knowledge. The goal? Inspiring career paths that can effectively address the national health and care crisis in a immersive and insightful environment.
The solution
Fostering empathy through VR
Together with Edinburgh College, we created a VR experience that immerses students in the daily life of a person living with dementia, simulating its challenges. Through this experience, learners gain insight into the effects on memory, perception, and communication, fostering greater empathy.
The value
Deepening the understanding of dementia
Caregivers and NHS senior care professionals have found the VR experience transformative and eye-opening, deepening their understanding of dementia challenges and revolutionizing their caregiving approaches. They recognise the VR Dementia Experience's value in fostering empathy, leading to improved patient outcomes and higher-quality care.
We were very encouraged by Edinburgh College’s ambition towards using new technology and adaptability even among team members for whom VR was a novelty. Altogether, we are very proud of the end-product and wholeheartedly believe this will make a difference for the next generation of Health & Social Care pupils.
Jonas Somerville Andersen, Managing Director at Cadpeople UK
The perspective
Meeting Scotland's future healthcare needs
The VR program not only elevates the student learning experience but also addresses skill gaps in the Care sector. By providing access to digital learning and simulated experiences, especially during resource constraints, it readies students to tackle the growing demand for healthcare professionals. With Scotland's aging population, an additional 3,400 professionals will be needed by 2024 and 7,800 by 2031.
The beginning of something big
Edinburgh College and Cadpeople plan to license the program to interested academic institutions, fostering potential collaborations to address skills shortages in healthcare. Key stakeholders from health and social care partnerships, government, colleges, and universities have been invited to explore the facility and explore collaboration opportunities.
PSST… THERE’S MORE.
