Care staff experience ageing challenges with simulation suit

Staff at a care home in Suffolk have been experiencing for themselves the challenges that older people face, by wearing age simulation suits.

The unusual training method uses a suit to simulate physical symptoms of old age, such as joint stiffness, loss of strength and reduced grip, coordination and head mobility. The suit even changes the opacity of the eye lens, narrows the visual field and simulates high-frequency hearing loss.

Hanro Steytler, deputy manager at Aldringham Court in Aldringham, said: “In care, it can sometimes be difficult to step away from being task orientated due to the time constraints and workload we all have. I organised the training for our staff as I believe there is no better training than an immersive experience.

“We will never fully understand what it feels like until we get to that phase of our lives ourselves. Having that little bit of insight, even with the smallest of changes in the way we provide care, can really make a difference to someone’s day to day life.”

Past research into the effectiveness of the suit found people who wore the suit had more empathy afterwards for older people and what they go through. They also found it much easier to comprehend the physical difficulties faced by the elderly, which can make carrying out the most simple tasks incredibly tough.

Niomi Tye, a hostess who provides assistance with mealtimes, ensuring residents have refreshments in their rooms and communal areas throughout the day, took part in the training. She said: “We were shocked at just how limiting the suits made us feel, in both movement and sight. It was a really effective way for us to learn more about our residents and what day-to- day life really does feel like for them.”

Dawn Culf, team leader at the home, found the training to be “incredibly emotive” and said: “It really opened my eyes to what our residents go through on a daily basis”.

The care home has booked another session in January in order for more members of staff to receive the training, which was provided by Suffolk County Council, as part of a wider programme developed by social care practitioners under the ‘In My Shoes’ initiative, involving the use of GERontologic Test (GERT) suits.

Nicola Phillips, who works in business support at the home, would like to see the training being made “mandatory for all care staff as it really gives you empathy and understanding of the difficulties our residents have”.

The Healthcare Homes Group is exploring the further roll-out of this training to other homes located in Suffolk.

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