Most people will not know the intimate struggle of slowly losing their vision, sense of hearing or control of their body until they are much older. A local nonprofit is offering the chance to feel those sensations in hopes of creating empathy and understanding with older adults.
Residents can sign up for Trading Ages, free monthly classes designed to put people in the perspective of someone much older than themselves, and have their eyes opened to certain obstacles the senior community faces every day.
The Senior Care Action Network (SCAN) was created in 1977 by a group of Long Beach seniors who wanted to improve resources for their community. The network now connects seniors, caregivers and families to much-needed resources to provide older adults with basic needs and resources so they don’t need to rely on nursing homes or healthcare facilities.
SCAN’s Independence At Home programming has spanned to offer mental health counseling and classes, technology support, health education, homeless services and its Trading Ages program.
According to the U.S. Census, 12% of Long Beach’s population is at least 65 years old. The City recently supported the senior community by declaring each Oct. 7 as Ageism Awareness Day, and programs like Trading Ages help combat that issue through a hands-on, simulated method.
Attendees in Trading Ages are put through a series of simulations and then are given specific tasks in order to understand how everyday functions become more difficult or complex with loss of vision, hearing, motor functions and more.
“It really broadens your understanding and opens your eyes to the aging process and how people are aging differently and how that feels,” said Dina Berg, co-founder of Heart of Ida, a nonprofit organization that assists seniors with basic needs and community engagement.
Berg had taken the class over a decade ago, but felt she could still learn from the simulations, so she signed herself and her entire staff up for a day of empathy and understanding. She said she felt it was important since her staff works with seniors every day, but emphasized that anyone can learn from the training.
“It gives you a renewed sense of how to walk in someone else’s shoes,” Berg said. “As patient as you think you are, you can always use the training. I think it’s a great thing for anyone.
Berg and her staff put on glasses that impaired their vision, then tried to read various words in close proximity, and Berg said she was unable to read a single word correctly. The class was then asked to put on a headset that impaired their hearing, which made it difficult to follow conversations and complete simple tasks.
“It really broadens your understanding and opens your eyes to the aging process and how people are aging differently and how that feels.”
Dina Berg, co-founder of Heart of Ida.
Attendees are also asked to do things with one arm behind their back, or various limbs deemed unusable.
“This is our gift to the community,” said Reina Oliver, director of Independence at Home Programs. “We love older adults, we serve them, and this is for others who may be serving older adults. It really evokes a sense of empathy.”
Oliver has been with Independence at Home for 16 years, and said she’s been able to see a shift in the way that people treat and think about older adults. Part of that change is programs like Trading Ages, and part of it, she said, is simply people talking about it more openly.
“The more we understand about older adults, the more we’re able to combat some of those stereotypes,” Oliver said. “You’re never too old to be meaningful.”
Her staff encourages people who work in retail, banks, grocery stores, pharmacies and hospitality to take the class, as well as those with older parents who wish to understand them more intimately.
Residents can sign up for the free Trading Ages class on Nov. 30 from 10 a.m. to noon online. Registration deadline is Nov. 22. Trading Ages also offers private, specialized meeting times for those who wish to sign up with a group.
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