When you are young and in good health, it is not easy to imagine what life can be like when you become old and sick ... To help understand the difficulties that accumulate on a daily basis as you advance in age, Domitys proposed to staff of his senior residence in Orleans, as well as other partner organizations, to come and test an “aging kit” which simulates the sensations one can experience when one is an elderly person.
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In one of the apartments of the residence, Nicolas Cornu, who works on site, harnesses himself.
He wears elbow pads, knee pads that limit movement, a cervical collar, a helmet that makes you almost deaf, glasses that reduce the visual field, puts on a 10 kg vest, mittens, fixes weights on the ankles and wrists that simulate muscle stiffness.
In the end, he looks like a cosmonaut who would be overwhelmed by gravity!
"It makes us much more understanding"
Then comes the stress test.
He sits down at the table, tries the shower, tries to get up from the bed, walks dragging his feet ... "This allows me to understand that if the gestures one by one remain possible, their sequence quickly becomes very painful.
What seems simple becomes slow and difficult, and that makes us much more understanding, ”explains the young man who supervised the operation for Domitys.
Like him, about fifty people participated in these workshops for two weeks, including elected officials.
Sometimes with unexpected effects.
“They told me that this made them understand the importance of having benches in public spaces so that people can rest,” adds Nicolas Cornu.
In the future, the operation could be repeated, mobilizing other structures, such as clinics or hospitals.