Understanding dementia better - world first comes from Austria.
Pinkafeld/Vienna, 31 March 2026 Virtual reality has also found its way into the medical and care sector in recent years. Since 2019, the company VitaBlick has been at the forefront in the German-speaking region - in more than 350 care facilities and hospitals in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, immobile people are already using their VR (virtual reality) journeys to revisit familiar places and discover new destinations.
The young company is now taking the next step and developing the world's first dementia simulator, which offers the opportunity to experience dementia first-hand in a three-dimensional space using VR glasses and without the need for controllers. Around World Health Day of the WHO (World Health Organisation), those responsible want to draw attention to the topic of dementia.
Scientific expertise from the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland
SimuDementia opens up an impressive change of perspective: users experience how the world changes for people with dementia - from mild limitations to severe impairments. The virtual environment reacts to natural hand movements so that typical everyday activities can be authentically reproduced.
The project was scientifically supported by the Department of Health & Social Affairs at University of Applied Sciences Burgenland. Teachers and researchers contributed their scientific expertise, particularly in the development of the dementia-specific scenarios, and also supported the project during the trial phase. "SimuDementia combines innovative technology with specialist expertise and creates added value for the training and practice of healthcare professions in equal measure," says Christina Wiesenhofer, project manager at Burgenland University of Applied Sciences.
Lively knowledge transfer between research, teaching and practice
"Students are sensitised to the challenges of dealing with dementia and at the same time gain a modern approach to a key topic for the future," adds Gernot Heschl, university lecturer on the Bachelor's degree course in Healthcare and Nursing.
The university and VitaBlick have been cooperating successfully for two years in the area of training for healthcare professions. The VitaBlick journeys are used, for example, as part of the additional training for care home management or in health-promoting degree programmes. With SimuDementia as the next step, not only has technological progress been achieved, but also a prime example of knowledge transfer between research, teaching and practice.
Wide range of applications in training, care and counselling
The dementia simulator can be used in three key areas in future: in training for healthcare professions, in care organisations and hospitals to train staff and in dementia advice centres and community health nurses to raise awareness among relatives and interested parties. "Whether you're a carer, student, GP or relative - anyone who can experience dementia will be more understanding of those affected," explains VitaBlick founder Amadeus Linzer.
Invitation to collaborate
Interested training centres, colleges, universities, care providers, hospitals, dementia counselling centres or community nurses are cordially invited to integrate the VR dementia simulator into their training and further education programmes.
The project was supported by the Vienna Business Agency, a fund of the City of Vienna.
Further information can be found at: www.simudementia.com
Contact: Amadeus Linzer, MSc.
Phone: +43 699 1929 8663
Mail: a.linzer@vitablick.at
Information on studying at the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland at www.hochschule-burgenland.at
Enquiry notes:
Mag.a Christiane Staab │ Marketing and Communication │ University of Applied Sciences Burgenland GmbH │ Tel: +43 (0)5 7705 3537 │ E-Mail: christiane.staab@hochschule-burgenland.at
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