Memory Support of Heritage Hall to Host Free Dementia Experience at STCC

SPRINGFIELD — On the heels of a newly released study revealing one in 10 Americans over 65 have dementia, Memory Support of Heritage Hall, a skilled-nursing facility specializing in memory care, will train the occupational therapy and physical therapy students of Springfield Technical Community College in a program called the Dementia Experience.

The free event, set for Thursday, Nov. 3 at 8:30 a.m., will provide students with an interactive, first-hand look into the life of a dementia patient. Specifically, the training helps caretakers, first responders, family, friends, and, in this case, students engage in the experience of living with dementia. The free training will include experiencing constrained fingers, occluded hearing and sight, loud white noise, and simulations navigating daily activities of living.