An opportunity for professional medical or care staff to really experience what it is like to be old or have some impairment has now been provided by the Friends of St Mary’s Hospital.
The charity has paid £2,000 for an age simulation suit for the liaison team based at St Mary’s Memory Service.
After putting on the suit people immediately find it difficult to undertake even the most mundane of tasks. The transformation is largely achieved by the imbedding of weights at various areas of the suit, making the movement of limbs a real and exhausting effort.
Other encumbrances include restrictions on the movement of neck, knees and ankles, ear-phones simulating deafness and goggles to reduce eyesight.
The suit is available to a wide range of people involved with elderly or people impaired in some way. As well as staff at St Mary’s it can be worn by community and care home staff. It could also be useful to train students in schools and colleges and volunteers in the third sector such as Age UK and the Alzheimers Society.
Memory Service liaison nurse Beverly Malone explained:
“It is one of the most effective ways to train people and to raise the need to provide compassion and understanding. Already the feedback has been most positive. Everybody who has tried it has certainly taken away valuable lessons from the experience.”
Photographed L-R: Beverly Malone with Isle of Wight Council social care officer Alexander Kreiberg demonstrating the age simulation suit with Friends volunteer Maralyn Verstraeten.
