By Trish Svoboda/Images courtesy K-State

Kansas State University’s Gray for a Day program gives students a hands-on look at what it’s like to experience aging and helps build empathy for older adults. Inspired by conversations with older adults about challenges related to sensory decline, the program was developed in 2016.

Erin Martinez, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, explained Gray for a Day uses simple, evidence-based simulations to show how aging can affect everyday activities. “We do things like having on glasses that can simulate cataracts, then have the kids play Go Fish, a simple card game that many of us know. And they can experience the challenges with just trying to see the cards. So, we try to incorporate activities that people recognize that we do regularly or that we often engage in across our lives to really make the experience more realistic.”

Students often have ‘a-ha’ moments where they start to understand why a grandparent may have stopped playing cards, and think about potential solutions like making playing cards with larger print.

The program has expanded beyond classrooms to healthcare workers, caregivers, and individuals supporting people with developmental disabilities. K-State is also exploring incorporating technology like virtual reality and AI to make the experience more interactive.

“One of the things that I’m really excited about is the potential for incorporating virtual reality technology, or AI, or other types of more advanced technology into the simulation and thinking about how we can make it more interactive,” she said. “It really is low tech right now which is wonderful because then anybody can take this program and implement it in their community for very little cost. But if we have resources to add additional technology, then we’ll be able to really expand this and experience the impact of aging in new ways.”

Teachers or community groups interested in bringing “Gray for a Day” to their classrooms can contact their local K-State Extension Office, which has kits available in all 105 counties.