If Joan Rivers taught us anything before she passed away, it’s that fashion matters. The right outfit can be slimming or swelling, flattening or flattering, gaudy or gorgeous. Your wardrobe can even affect how young you look. But what about how old you feel?
As it turns out, there’s a new kind of suit that does exactly that, and a lot more literally than you might have ever imagined.
Last month, UMass Boston hosted a special conference called the “Older Driver Safety Summit.” It’s a gathering of experts in aging, automotives, education, and public policy, and it’s aimed at solving the issues facing elderly motorists.
As part of that effort, the Summit introduced its Third Age Suit, sponsored and developed by Ford Motor Company. Ford describes it as a kind of “empathy tool,” designed to give young people a better understanding of the aging experience and to help their own engineers better meet the needs of an ever-active aging population.
Essentially, the suit simulates some of the mobility and sensitivity issues that many of us tend to encounter as we grow older. Those translate to very specific challenges on the road — challenges that are hardly insurmountable but certainly warrant our attention nevertheless.
Indeed, many of the young drivers donning the suit found it significantly harder to drive while inside. It was a stark wakeup call for those who hadn’t thought much about the passage of time, but also a refreshing note of encouragement. That Ford even developed the suit demonstrates that they’re eager to solve the very problems they’ve simulated here.
“While the thought of aging and someday losing so much of the mobility I take for granted is scary,” one participant told Boston.com, “it’s comforting to know Ford and other automakers are trying to make cars safer and easier to use for older drivers.
“After all, if we supposedly get better with age, our cars should strive to keep up.”
Technology is a wonderful thing, but certainly, many of the challenges posed by aging persist. That’s why it’s so important that we all start planning today to make sure we can access the care and assistance we might need somewhere down the road.
Part of our practice here at O’Connell Law, LLC is helping people of all ages to plan for their lives and legacies. Give us a call to talk to an experienced Middlesex County elder law attorney about your own future today.
