Use of an age-simulation suit as an empathy-building method for dental students: a pre-post study.

Background: The aging of the population highlights the need to establish empathetic connections with older adults. To achieve this, age simulation suits have been designed, allowing users to experience the physical limitations associated with aging. This study aimed to evaluate the experience of dental students with these devices, using psychometric tools to measure the impact on their understanding and empathy. Methods: A pre/post-test study was conducted with the participation of 63 dental students from Rey Juan Carlos University who were fitted with an age simulation suit and asked to perform different tasks. Psychometric tools were used to assess specific parameters. Empathy was measured using the Jefferson Empathy Scale, emotional intelligence was assessed with the Trait Meta-Mood Scale-24 (TMMS-24), and the emotional attention dimension was analyzed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Results: The scores on the Jefferson Empathy Scale significantly improved from 88.44 ± 6.8 to 91.06 ± 10.11 after using the simulation suit (P < 0.026). Pearson's product moment correlation analysis showed no significant positive association or correlation between age and scores from the three questionnaires. In the rest, a positive and significant correlation was observed (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Age simulation activities effectively enhance empathy among dental students. However, more studies are needed to foster positive attitudes toward aging and prevent negative stereotypes.

"If this is what it means to be old ": a mixed methods study on the effects of age simulation on views on aging and perceptions of age-related impairments.

Age simulation suits are a promising tool to increase empathy and to promote positive attitudes toward older adults. However, studies have largely focused on (young) healthcare professionals, are probably biased by social desirability, and have not addressed participants' views of the aging process triggered by the simulation. The current work combines two studies addressing effects of aging suits on both general and personal views on aging among heterogeneous samples, and exploring spontaneous associations during the simulation. In study 1, N = 165 adults (M = 37.1 years, SD = 15.4, range 18-74 years) answered questionnaires containing general views regarding older adults ("old people are…") as well as personal perceptions ("aging means to me…") before and after wearing an aging suit. In study 2, young adults (N = 22; M = 24.8 years, SD = 4.3, range 20-38 years) and middle-aged adults (N = 41; M = 60.8 years, SD = 6.9, range 40-75 years) carried out established geriatric assessments with and without aging suit, and spontaneous impressions on the instant aging experience were recorded. Findings indicated negative shifts in both general and personal views on aging measures in both age groups (d = .30 to d = .44). Analyses of qualitative data resulted in seven main themes, e.g., "strain/coordination", "future me", "empathy/insight". Group comparisons revealed higher frequencies of future-self related thoughts among middle-aged adults, whereas younger adults mentioned predominantly physical effects of the suit. In conclusion, applying age simulation suits might evoke unintended negative views on aging. In comparison with young adults, middle-aged adults showed broader reflections including thoughts related to emotions, future-self, and potential struggles of older people.

Spatiotemporal gait parameters in young individuals wearing an age simulation suit compared to healthy older individuals.

INTRODUCTION: Aging is accompanied by changes in muscle mass, strength and loss of sensory, visual and auditive functions. However, these changes do not occur linearly, most spatiotemporal gait parameters change with aging. Age simulation suits have been invented to give young people an impression of the implications of being older and may be a useful tool in the scientific setting for gerontology research to validate any study concept before it becomes a pilot study. The rationale behind this study was to investigate the effects of an age simulation suit on gait parameters in young healthy adults and to compare the altered gait with healthy older, community-dwelling citizens. METHODS: Subjects were 14 healthy young adults (6 female) and 8 healthy older (4 female) individuals with a mean (± SD) age of 24.8 ± 3.4 years and 72 ± 1.9 years, respectively. After initial baseline measurements had been taken and a familiarization phase, the younger subjects walked for 15 min without and 15 min with an age simulation suit on an instrumented treadmill. The older subjects walked once for 15 min on the same treadmill without wearing an age simulation suit. The walking speed was self-selected for all subjects. RESULTS: The age simulation suit reduced the walking speed from 4.1 ± 0.7 km/h to 3.3 ± 0.5 km/h (p < 0.001) in young adults with no differences compared to older adults (2.9 ± 0.6 km/h, p = 0.9). Step width increased from 8.7 ± 2.2 cm to 12.1 ± 2.2 cm (p < 0.001) and did not differ from older participants (11.1 ± 4.3 cm, p = 0.37). The stride length was reduced (132.6 ± 5.9 cm vs 118.1 +-6.6 cm, p < 0.001), but still did not match the old control group (94.5 ± 5.6 cm, p < 0.05). Wearing the suit increased thestride time of young subjects (from 1,152 to 1,316 ms, p < 0.001) and was different compared to the older control group (1,172 ms, p = 0.53). The coefficient of variation (COV) of spatiotemporal parameters did not differ between young (both not wearing the suit and wearing the suit) and older subjects. The standard deviation of lateral symmetry, an in-house marker from the instrumented treadmill that serves as a marker of gait variability, differed between young subjects without the suit and older subjects (5.89 ± 1.9 mm vs 14.6 ± 5.7 mm, p < 0.001) but not between young subjects wearing the suit and older subjects (16.4 ± 7.4 mm vs 14.6 ± 5.7 mm, p = 0.53). CONCLUSION: Wearing an age simulation suit while walking on a treadmill with a self-selected walking speed alters some, but not all, measured spatiotemporal parameters to approximate a gait pattern similar to that of an older individual.

Effectiveness of a multimodal intervention and the simulation flow to improve empathy and attitudes towards older adults in nursing students: A crossover randomised controlled trial.

AIM: The aims of this study were (1) to develop a multimodal intervention according to the NLN Jeffries Simulation Theory planned to improve attitudes and empathy towards older adults in undergraduate nursing students using theoretical contents, age simulation suits, and storytelling of old participants, and (2) to evaluate the influence of the simulation flow on the effectiveness of this intervention in improving attitudes and empathy towards older adults. BACKGROUND: The increase in longevity in recent decades has led to an increase in the demand for professionals linked to the care of the older adults. Some studies indicate that health care professionals lack empathy and understanding toward older adults. Therefore, it is essential to introduce innovative teaching strategies to improve attitudes and empathy toward older adults in future health professionals. DESIGN: A crossover randomised controlled trial. METHODS: A three-period crossover randomised controlled trial with an experimental group, a control group (that transitions to a delayed experimental group) was conducted on 70 nursing students after the initial 73 were allocated. A multimodal intervention was used that, in addition to geriatric nursing theory, incorporated complex age simulation suit and student-older adult interaction. Pre-test and post-test data were obtained through the Jefferson Scale of Empathy and Kogan's Attitudes towards Older People Scale. Thus, students in the experimental group 1 received the following simulation flow: Geriatric Nursing Theory + Seminar with age simulation suit + student-older adult interaction. The students in the delayed experimental group 2 received this order: Geriatric Nursing Theory +Seminar without Age simulation suit + student-older adult interaction + Age simulation suit. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were observed in both empathy (t = 3.155, p = 0.001, d = 0.782), and attitudes (t=3.256, p=0.001, d=0.803) when comparing control group scores (who only received the theoretical contents of the seminar) and experimental group 1 scores after receiving the full multimodal simulation (i.e. a seminar wearing an age simulation suit + volunteer interaction with an older adult). Regarding the order of educational strategies in the simulation flow, there were significant differences in the empathy scores found when both groups had received the full intervention. Accordingly, training with age simulation suits followed by storytelling provides better scores in empathy than in the opposite direction (t = 2.028, p = 0.048, d = 0.54). CONCLUSIONS: The use of a multimodal intervention, implementing an age simulation suit and the narration of an older adult's life experiences (in this order), improves attitudes and empathy.