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Dementia care is an important aspect affecting the quality of life of people living with dementia. There are many studies that test the efficacy of methods of care in order to support and even increase the quality of life of dementia patients (e.g. Gridley et al., 2016; Thyrian et al., 2017). A novel approach developed by Beville (2002) called Virtual Dementia Tour® (VDT®) also aims to improve the care of people living with dementia in their middle and late stages of deterioration. VDT® is now becoming popular internationally (see www.provdt.co.uk/) and it is sold to the general public as an evidence-based method through which people can experience what it is like to live with dementia, aiming to increase empathy and improve the delivery of care. The purpose of this paper is to explore the validity of the VDT® intervention.

The author explores the original research article upon which the VDT® was developed, highlighting critical points and reviewing these through a rigorous selection of references.

The supporting evidence base is consistently weak on closer scrutiny, and in combination with anecdotal evidence of distress related to the VDT® experience, this analysis suggests a need for caution in implementation.

Although high-quality standards of care from the national guidelines (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, 2010) ensure that health services implement evidence-based interventions, it may be important to discern that which is empirically based from that which is not.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how supervision is applied in the context of National Health Service services for older adults, with particular regard to the profession of clinical psychology and psychotherapy.

The clinical supervision theories that are considered in this exploration are the Seven-Eyed Model (Hawkins and Shohet, 2012) and the Cyclical Model (Page and Wosket, 2015). The discussion also integrates an overview of psychological dynamics as presented by the existing literature with the author’s reflections on the influence of ageing stereotypes in the therapeutic work with older adults.

The theoretical models of clinical supervision considered can offer a robust framework and pathway for supervisory work in psychology and psychotherapy for older people. However, this alone seems insufficient and needs to be combined with the supervisor’s knowledge on psychology of ageing as well as their own self-reflection on internalised ageing stereotypes.

The paper suggests a need for health care professionals, providing clinical supervision on older adult therapeutic work, to be familiar with the aspects analysed.

Clinical supervision handbooks overlook aspects related to age as an issue of difference. This paper adds value to the clinical work with older people through a novel attempt to link implications of ageing stereotypes with the therapeutic and supervisory practice.