The old adage ‘Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes’ has resonated around Attlee Court recently with staff using an age simulation suit to experience life as an older person.
“The suit is a great way for our staff to really immerse themselves in the daily challenges faced by some of our residents,” said Michelle Smith, Care Home Manager at Attlee Court.
What is an Aging Suit?
The simulation suits, designed to replicate the physical limitations and discomforts of aging, offered staff a first-hand experience of mobility issues, diminished sensory perception, and other common ailments. From reduced mobility to impaired vision and hearing, they gained insight into the hurdles some of our residents have to navigate on a daily basis.
How an Aging Suit Helps
Speaking about the experience, Logan, a laundry assistant at Attlee Court, said: “Wearing the aging simulation suit was an eye-opening experience. It made me realise the importance of patience and understanding when assisting our residents. Simple tasks become incredibly hard, I was worried about falling over and felt as though I had to shuffle my feet to ensure I kept upright because of my limited vision, it was such a unique experience and will certainly help us empathise more with our residents’ struggles.”
Michelle continued: “Using this suit to effectively walk a mile in our resident’s shoes, has really helped us to enhance our understanding of their challenges and create stronger connections with our residents. The importance of patience, appreciation and empathy has never been more apparent and it was really useful to let our staff experience this in such a visceral way.”
The initiative has received positive feedback from staff, residents and their families and has highlighted the potential for developing additional empathy-building exercises to help enrich the lives of residents at Attlee Court.
