On Oct. 31, the Des Moines staff held a retreat which included a "tour" through dementia. One group put on glasses that mimicked cataracts or macular degeneration, sensory plates in their shoes, earphones generating extra sound and gloves to imitate tactile function loss. The other group were caretakers. Together they were asked to perform a variety of tasks to demonstrate the challenges of living with dementia. At the end of the day, they also took some time to focus on self-care for the caretakers.
