Last year, MIT developed a suit – called AGNES – that will simulate the feeling of being a 70-year old. AGNES was designed to help researchers understand the needs of older people. Well, a similar suit is being tested by the folks over at Berlin’s Evangelical Geriatrics Centre (EGZB). The suit is dubbed as the “Age Man Suit”, and it precisely does what it says. The suit lets the wearer know how it feels to be old. And to make that all possible, the suit has ear-protectors that suppress hearing, a visor that blurs eyesight, elbow and knee pads that stiffens the joints, and a vest that makes movement all the more difficult.
The 10kg-Age Man Suit hopes to immerse new doctors to the social and medical needs of old people, particularly in Germany. Rahel Eckardt, a senior physician at EGZB believes that there is a huge gap between medical professionals and their elderly patients. She also said that some nowadays are unwilling to practice geriatric medicine. “Rather than a PowerPoint presentation, this is the best way of giving them a real idea of what it’s like to be old. Maybe then they will consider a career in geriatrics, which until now has fought for recognition alongside other fields of medicine that are considered to be more exciting,” Eckardt added.
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