VIDEO OF THE WEEK: THE AGE SIMULATION SUIT
by Hazed
What is it like to get old? Well, any of my readers who have hit middle age, as I have, will know all about the creaking joints and aching bones, the slowness and the stiffness, the difficulty in moving, bending and picking things up, the failing eyesight and reduced hearing abilities.
But sprightly young things won’t have any idea just how difficult life can be when your body starts to break down. That’s why healthcare students at a university in London have been using an “age simulation suit”. Their ankles are weighted, their necks immobilised, they are given ear defenders and glasses that mimic the effects of cataracts in the eye. Special gloves send electrical pulses to the hands, which mimic the effect of twitches suffered by the old.
The intention is for the next generation of doctors and nurses to be encouraged to empathise with the plight of their elderly patients.
You can watch a video showing the age simulation suit in action here.
