Stepping into Memory’s Maze: Bengaluru’s VR Booth Brings Dementia to Life for a Day

At Smrithi 2025 in Bengaluru, participants were given a unique window into the world of dementia — where even familiar faces become strangers. “You do not recognise your own people. You cannot recognise your caregiver or your spouse or children. That is dementia in its worst form,” shared a senior citizen after experiencing a groundbreaking virtual reality simulation at the event.

Organised by the Nightingales Medical Trust ahead of World Alzheimer’s Day, the public awareness programme gathered over 400 participants, including elders, families, and caregivers, at MN Krishna Rao Park in Basavanagudi. The VR booth offered an immersive, first-person glimpse into the daily struggles faced by those living with dementia, fostering new levels of empathy and understanding among attendees.

Complementing the VR experience, organisers also ran brain fitness check-ups for more than 150 elders, broadening the initiative’s impact on dementia awareness and elder care in the community