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Preparing for an aging boom
In thirty years, the senior population will nearly double, while the
number of geriatricians continues to dwindle. OU-COM trains students
to help meet the demand.

By Anita Martin
Photos by John Sattler

“OK, Stevens, you’re blind. Schilb, you’re deaf. Martin, you’re visually impaired. Lykens, you have arthritis.”

Sarah McGrew, B.S.N., manager of clinical and community experiences, passes out assignments to OU-COM students for the Sensory Changes Lab. The lab is part of their required three-week block of coursework in geriatrics, the medical specialty focused on elderly care, before they begin third-year rotations.

Depending on the students’ “conditions”—all reflecting common afflictions of aging—some wear blindfolds or earphones transmitting loud static. Others put on goggles covered with semi-opaque plastic wrap or tape Popsicle sticks to their fingers above the knuckles to hinder dexterity.

For two hours, the students wear their prosthetic impairments through a series of exercises: from buttoning coats to walking with a cane while carrying two bags of groceries and attempting to unlock a door.

“By simulating experiences related to aging, we’re hoping students gain a sense of empathy for their older patients,” says Deborah Meyer, Ph.D., R.N., administrator and assistant professor for OU-COM’s Department of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology. continue

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