Front Row (L-R) Jessica Wenger ’10, Rachel Lazarus ’11, Nina Jordan’11, Juan Canales ‘10, Lydia Treat ’11, Mildred Berrora’10
Back Row-Professor Carol Weisse, Jeremy Fritzhand ’10, Leah Robison ’10, Emily Moorstein ’10, Rachel S
It’s an experience they’re not likely to forget.
Students in Professor Carol Weisse’s cognitive neuroscience class recently conducted a laboratory exercise by going into the community and conducting a “virtual dementia tour” for individuals who wanted to improve their understanding of cognitive decline.
Obenzinger Scholar Leah Robison ’10 coordinated the event, which allowed participants, many of whom were volunteers for the Alzheimer’s Buddy Program, to learn more about what it’s like to live with dementia. The buddy program, which has a campus chapter, offers support to families and individuals in the community dealing with dementia.
Wearing specialized goggles and headphones presenting sounds meant to impair cognitive processing, participants were asked to complete some basic household tasks, many of which turned out to be an unexpected challenge.
“This was a new lab course, and I tried to incorporate service learning. It ended up being a fun and interesting event,” said Weisse, director of Health Professions Program.
“Students were able to conduct a unique laboratory exercise while gaining a better understanding of dementia and offering a valuable service to the community.”
More than 4.5 million of the approximately 35 million Americans age 65 and older suffer from dementia, the overriding diagnosis for cognitive impairments. Alzheimer’s disease is the largest category under dementia.