The Virtual Dementia Bus was a great success on its first visit to Largs recently.

The event was arranged by the Largs Dementia Friendly group and 25 people were in attendance. 

Among the participants were carers, family members of people living with dementia, staff from local businesses and first responders.

The bus is a simulator that gives a person with a healthy brain  the experience of what dementia might be like.

Those who took part were given tasks to do in the bus, however abilities were influenced by the environment and made this much more difficult.

After completing the allotted time on the bus, the trainer had a debrief  with all the participants.

The project aims to increase empathy, understanding and awareness of challenges faced by individuals with dementia.

On the evaluation forms, everyone rated the overall experience as excellent.

Visitors commented that they learned so much and put into practice what they had learned, that it was an afternoon well spent, and good to talk to others in a similar position.

A Largs Dementia Friendly spokesperson said: "The day was so successful that Dementia Friendly Largs and District jointly with Alzheimer’s Scotland have submitted a bid to the 2023/2024 Locality Participatory and UK Shared Prosperity Fund."