Hospital’s Youth Volunteers “Walk in the Shoes of Older Adults”
By Pasadena Independent
Published: Thursday, May 20th, 2010
Huntington Hospital volunteers Megan Anderson and Isabel Sotomayor experience the challenges of aging during SCAN Health Plan’s Trading Ages workshop.
High school students who volunteer at Huntington Hospital had an opportunity to “become senior citizens” this week, thanks to Trading Ages, an interactive senior sensitivity training program sponsored by SCAN Health Plan. The award-winning Trading Ages program is a workshop that provides participants the opportunity to literally “walk in the shoes of a senior” through a series of hands-on exercises and sensory perception education.
“This workshop really opened their eyes to what people experience as they age and gradually lose the ability to be fully independent,” said Mary Jayne Johnstone, student volunteer supervisor at Huntington Hospital. “Several students mentioned that their grandparents and even some of their parents are experiencing difficulty with their vision and hearing. After the program they felt they had a better understanding of why their family members sometimes seem frustrated or agitated.”
To mimic the difficulties experienced with arthritis, for example, program participants donned heavy, clumsy gloves and were then asked to open medication bottles and handle small pills. The students also put popcorn in their shoes and were asked to walk around to simulate the feeling of painful joints. Some students had one arm strapped to their side to see how limiting it can be to deal with the effects of a stroke.
Depriving participants of the level of hearing and sight that most people enjoy their entire lives is also a critical part of the program. The students were asked to insert ear plugs and were then given a hearing test to demonstrate how isolating hearing loss can be. They were given special glasses to experience vision loss.
“The students asked really intelligent questions and I saw a lot of ‘aha!’ moments,” said Johnstone.
According to Lena Perlman, director of community outreach at SCAN, that’s not uncommon. “Participants are often surprised by how they react during the program, and many have commented on what an eye-opening experience it is.”
SCAN has been offering aging sensitivity training to its employees for many years as a way to better understand the needs and mindset of its health plan members. The program also continues to be offered to SCAN board members, physician groups and to school children to enhance their sensitivity in dealing with older adults.
“With our society rapidly aging, this type of education across all ages and industries is more important than ever,” said Perelman. “As a health plan focused exclusively on the needs of seniors, SCAN is in a unique position to help people understand more about the aging process.”
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