Kansas State University’s “Gray for a Day” program, led by aging specialist Erin Martinez, uses hands-on activities to teach participants about sensory decline in older adults. Participants, from kindergarteners to healthcare professionals, engage in activities like stuffing cotton balls in their ears to simulate hearing loss, taping popsicle sticks to their fingers to mimic arthritis, and using rubber gloves to reduce their sense of touch. Popcorn kernels taped to their feet simulate the pain of diabetic neuropathy, and special glasses replicate vision impairments such as macular degeneration or cataracts.

The program highlights how senses like hearing, taste, smell, sight, and touch typically decline with age, often going unnoticed at first. It also raises awareness about the challenges older adults face in daily tasks and encourages adopting healthy habits early on to reduce the impact of sensory decline.

The program is offered in K-12 schools, 4-H programs, and local communities throughout Kansas.