Introduction
For this lesson you are going to get the opportunity to feel what it might be like to suffer from some forms of disabilities. Remember these are not normal age related changes but diseases than can be related to getting older. As one ages there is more time for unhealthful life style habits to accumulate and show the increments of disease. In other words, if these diseases were caused by advanced age, everyone who ages would get them, but as you know everyone does not. These diseases are affected by how one practices self care, their lifetime of environmental factors (such as living and working in a polluted area, eating unhealthful foods, lack exercise , type of work one engaged in, genetics and other factors ). You will need the following materials to continue: It's also fun to include your family in this exercise.
 | 1 cup of popcorn or two rice cakes |
| 1 pair of tightly fitting gloves (any kind will do) |
| 1 pair of old glasses with a dab of oil or lotion on the lenses |
| 2 cotton balls or tissue you can make ear plugs with |
| 1 straw |
Procedure
We are going to simulate some of the more common diseases associated with old age: hands and finger joints stiff with arthritis, decreased hearing and sight, and chronic lung diseases by doing the following:
| Put popcorn (broken
pieces of rice cakes also work) in your shoes . |
| Put gloves on your hands to simulate arthritic fingers and joints in
the hands. |
| To simulate presbyopia or decreased vision, get a pair of old glasses
or sunglasses, rub a small amount cream or lotion on the lenses so that
things appear blurred when you look through them. |
| Now, put cotton balls in your ears to simulate presbycuspis
(difficulty hearing). |
| If you would like to see what it is like to have chronic lung disease, put a straw in your mouth to breath through (try not to use your nose). NOTE: Don’t do this is you have medical problems yourself and be sure to do it while seated. If you get dizzy stop. You might feel anxious; that is exactly what happens to people with lung disease. |
With everything except the straw, (stiff and bent fingers, blurred vision and decreased hearing)
| Go to your purse or pocket and take out a few coins and identify them |
| Make a telephone call to check the time |
| If possible, unbutton and button your shirt |
| Write your name |
| Walk around the room, try to converse with others |
Assignment
Now go to the discussion link and answer the following questions: Again, copy and past these points into your message so you are sure to answer each point. I suggest you cut and paste the questions right into your post.
| How did you feel while doing these exercises? Which disability affected you the most? |
| Now, design a product or service that might help with this problem? |
| Can you think of how these medical problems could affect the ability to
perform activities of daily living ( ADL’s)? |
| How can you prevent or slow down these disabilities in yourself? |
| Then tell us one change you could make today? |
| And as always don't forget the SWAGS in both your assignment and your posts. |
Adapted from Hillier and Barrow, Aging, the Individual, and Society,1999