Why buy the suit when the body’s free?

I saw my doctor the other day. As I expected, other than for a few mechanical difficulties – one quasi-frozen shoulder, two creaky knees, an occasional hip twinge, tingling in the balls of my feet, and ankles that swell when I stand too long in one place (good thing I don’t need to work retail!) – I’m in good shape.

I’m doing my best to make sure that the aging process stays in a holding pattern for as long as possible. Or even – tingling toes crossed – getting some slight improvements. But mostly, things are going in one direction. Seventy might be the next fifty – come December, I’ll let you know – but, darling, you are growing old.

Other than those mechanical difficulties, I don’t feel all that old. But old age depends on where you’re sitting on the age continuum:

On average, adults between the ages of 30 and 49 think old age begins at 69. People who are currently 50-64 believe old age starts at 72. Responders who are 65 and older say old age begins at 74. (Source: LiveAbout)

They didn’t ask me, but I think I’d have said that old age begins at 80. Just sayin’.

Whenever old age starts, I’m delighted that there are researchers out there trying to make things better for us geezers as we advance further and further into geezerhood.

Corgan is an architecture firm working to make travel a more pleasant experience for the elderly.

So they have created an “age simulation suit” that lets designers experience what it’s like for older folks to get around a busy airport. For Samantha Flores, donning 30 pounds worth of gear did the trick:

Goggles and headphones “impaired” her sight and hearing. Gloves reduced feeling and simulated hand tremors. Weighted shoes, along with neck, elbow and knee movement restrictors, approximated mobility limitation. (Source: NY Times)

Remind me not to get old.

Once she’d put the suit on, Flores found:

The signs were hard to see, the announcements were hard to hear and the people rushing by made her feel unsteady on her stiffened knees.

Remind me not to get old. (Sorry, us old folks tend to be repetitive.)

Using the suits is one way designers who work with airports and the travel industry in general are starting to look at creating spaces for different groups of people. And older people are one group whose numbers are growing.

Yep. There are a lot of us and, even though it all ends up with the inevitable, there are going to be a lot more of us. By 2035, the 65+ set “will outnumber children for the first time.” I know that this is primarily because we’re living longer, and not just because some of us never got around to replacing ourselves, but I still find it pretty depressing.

But here we are and here we come.

Airports are adapting to us geezers on the go by putting more benches along the way so we can’t rest up more frequently. I haven’t noticed any of these. What I do increasingly see is those speeding golf-carts barreling around terminal corridors, laden with old people in Hawaiian shirts and shit-tons of luggage. (Remind me not to get old.)

Then there’s this:

Research conducted by Corgan found that elderly people were more likely to look down while they were walking, which means they could miss directional signs above their heads. So the company suggested that its airport clients place more information closer to the ground.

Now we’ll have the choice between craning our necks and stooping to read ankle-level signage. Swell. What’s wrong with eye level?

Another finding is that older travelers are so anxious to get to their gates that they take a pass on the main concession areas. The recommendation: make sure there’s more places to grab food near the boarding gates.

This seems to be happening, and I’m all for it. I’m someone who likes to get to the gate and settle in without having to backtrack for a shrink wrapped sandwich, bottle of water, or bag of M&M’s.

The firm also found that shiny floors should be avoided because they could appear wet and cause people to worry about falling.

Even when I was a lot younger, I came to the realization that shiny floors should be avoided everywhere. I’ve never understood marble floors polished to a mirror shine. Forget that they “appear wet”, they’re actually slippery.

There are some technical changes that are being deployed for the old folks on the go – gate announcements beamed directly to someone’s hearing aide, for one instance – and there are some human factors, too. Seems that older people like to interact with fellow human beings. Who knew? Other than Walmart, with all those folks in the vests…

Hotels are getting in on the act, too. Some are getting rid of bathtubs and swapping in walk-in showers. Yes! I’ve never understood why hotels want their guests risking life and limb to step in and out of tubs in order to take a shower (especially in a bathroom with highly polished marble floors). Sure it’s fun to luxuriate in a tub once in a while, but safety first.

My favorite accommodation was one that a “travel expedition company” came up with:

On one family’s trip to Costa Rica…a grandmother traveled along in a submersible vehicle with a pilot while her grandchildren snorkeled around her.

Now this sounds like fun. Too bad I forgot to have kids (and, thus, grandkids).

As for that “age simulation suit,” don’t think I’ll be needing one anytime soon.

Why buy the suit when the body’s free?