Virtual Empathy

Have a look:

After watching this news clip, I was left wondering if this is an effective way to develop empathy, or if it undermines the challenges associated with dementia.

Perhaps 12 minutes with the 'kit' provides a platform for understanding. From here, one can imagine what it would be like to experience limited vision and the loss of fine motor skills.

On the other hand, goggles and gloves may not tell the whole story. The kit does not hinder working memory or other cognitive functions; we can do little to simulate the experience of getting lost in one's own home or being unable to recognize one's own family members.

What are your thoughts? Is this kit useful in training? Or does it give a 'false' sense of empathy?