An Empirical Assessment of an Activity to Teach Sensory Change in Aging

Abstract

This study empirically tested the effectiveness of a brief, inexpensive aging simulation activity to educate traditional-aged students about sensory declines and their potential causes in older adulthood development. Students in a life-span development course wore specific props (e.g., thick gloves, earplugs, and obscured glasses) to simulate neuropathy, arthritis, sensory impairment, and fatty tissues loss, while carrying out a variety of physical tasks. Pretest–posttest analyses revealed that students who engaged in the simulation activity with discussion learned far more regarding sensory changes of aging than did students who passively listened to a lecture on the topic. These results provide evidence that an economical role-playing simulation can be a successful means for teaching students about sensory changes in older adulthood. © 2014, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.