As actress Bette Davis famously quipped, “Getting old isn’t for sissies.”
With the first of the baby boom generation now hitting 70 years of age, a lot of us are thinking about growing older and the many problems that can come with aging. One of the biggest worries for many is getting dementia or some form of cognitive impairment — or caring for someone who has it.
Currently in America, one in 10 of us is over 65, and half of those over 85 are affected by dementia. Those who care for people afflicted sometimes get frustrated with the behavior of those who are suffering with the disease.
On Monday, the Malibu Senior Center was host to an innovative new program that’s trying to change the perceptions of aging and provide empathy and knowledge about the frustrations of limited mobility and memory loss.
A virtual dementia tour was provided by HomeWatch Caregivers of Thousand Oaks to let residents experience what it is like to live without full control of their body, eyesight, hearing and even memory. Randy Martin and his wife Kristine, who own the company, know from personal experience about the hardships of caring for a loved one and being informed.
“We were taking care of our parents and saw a need for people to have information and to help family transitions take place,” the couple said. “So, a year ago, we set up the virtual dementia tour so we could enlighten the community and help to spread some empathy towards people with dementia. We train caregivers and loved ones so they can see what it’s like to walk in the shoes of somebody with dementia.”
Those shoes were not just uncomfortable, but could be downright painful.
The tour starts with a shoe insertion — a plastic form with spikes intended to dig into the flesh of the soles of the feet and toes, emulating neuropathy that often afflicts the elderly.
“Often a caregiver may ask the person they care for if they’d like to go for a walk and they are met with an emphatic, ‘No!’ It’s often because of the pain of neuropathy,” Kristine explained.
Tour takers’ hands were then placed in gloves and different fingers were taped together to simulate having arthritis in the hands. Simple, everyday acts, like using a scissors, holding a pen or even using eating utensils would be nearly impossible. Dark glasses were then worn to replicate macular degeneration or cataracts, severely limiting eyesight. And finally, a headset was worn — not only garbling sounds, but also making occasional siren noises that were unsettling and even disturbing.
After all the gear was adorned, participants were led into a mobile home that could be a typical living situation for an elderly person. Five tasks were then given them to complete. The instructions were verbalized once and no further help was given. Tasks included folding towels, finding and putting on a sweater, setting a table, pouring water and writing a note.
Many who took the tour found the tasks to be frustrating at best and unpleasant. It is no wonder that 50 percent of elders with Alzheimer’s disease suffer from depression.
Twenty-five members of the Malibu Senior Center took the tour.
“They love it. It’s been informative,” Eileen Youngling, a recreational assistant with the Senior Center, said.
One senior citizen told The Malibu Times, “It was a worthwhile experience. They’re trying to give you insights into the problems of memory loss and aging.”
Maggie Karpuk, another participant, explained why she was there.
“My mom has dementia,” Karpuk said. “She’s been in an assisted living facility for a little over two years. She has deteriorated just like we know Alzheimer’s/dementia does and she now needs additional care on top of the assisted living. So when I read about this in The Malibu Times, I thought it would be a good opportunity to find out where and how we can get resources to help her, to physically feel some of the challenges that people with dementia have and to have a better understanding of why they behave the way they do.”
Randy Martin added that more outreach is needed to help the aging U.S. population.
“Ten thousand people turn 65 every day in the United States. More people will be affected,” Martin said. “We personally don’t know how the system is going to keep up with it.”
