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Can you please share the Baltes reference with us?  I think it has been 
mentioned before on this listserve.
Thanks,
Beryl

Audra Baleisis wrote:
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related 
> institutions.
> ***************************************************************************** 
>
>
> I had the opportunity to take a social gerontology class a few years 
> ago, that was mostly aimed at students who might be working with 
> senior citizens, with an aging population, etc. But there were some 
> really great resources the instructor brought in that made me realize 
> how important it is to look at exhibits or programs from the point of 
> view of a specific audience.
>
> One of my favorite parts of the class was an exercise that was led by 
> a woman from the local Council on Aging. We were handed out various 
> set of glasses (that ranged from slightly scratched, to mostly blacked 
> out) to simulate different vision problems. We put cotton balls in our 
> ears. We tied a string around our ankles to impose a shorter gait. And 
> we put on latex gloves to simulate the loss of touch sensitivity. In 
> the context of the exercise (of us being in a senior "daycare", with a 
> snotty, condescending "aide" to help us), I remember how frustrated I 
> got very quickly. At being expected to sign a check when I couldn't 
> even see the signature line, at being told to "hurry along" when I 
> could only take steps that were a foot apart. It gave me a very 
> different outlook on the point of view of a person with some physical 
> challenges.
>
> We also had an exercise that simulated the type of hearing loss that 
> is common - not of overall volume decrease but of a decrease in 
> hearing the upper frequencies (where consonant sounds hang out!). This 
> meant that turning up a volume dial did nothing to increase 
> comprehension. Just try figuring out what someone is saying if you can 
> only hear vowels.
>
> Other considerations that were brought up were to have adequate access 
> to seating (for resting) and restrooms.
>
> The last thing that comes to mind dealt with vision changes - that led 
> to certain colors standing out less (again, not a problem of turning 
> up a volume, because only certain frequencies were affected). This 
> category also included leaving more time for dark-adaptation and 
> light-adaptation (since the eyes get slower at this as we age), and 
> planning times of day for certain programs because of decreased night 
> vision (and a harder time driving at night).
>
> Taken all together, these changes describe a person who may not even 
> be up and about, but as a set of things to keep in mind, they may make 
> a difference for aging visitors.
>
> On a final (and maybe more positive) note, I did my term paper for the 
> class on a researcher named Paul Baltes, who studied cognitive changes 
> of aging brains. Although computational speed was decreasing on 
> average, some of his research showed that wisdom was increasing with 
> age for many people. How exactly to harness or engage an increasingly 
> wise mind is a tough question, and I remember wondering how this might 
> be taken advantage of with programs that looked at this aspect of 
> human reasoning.
>
> Audra Baleisis
> Science Education Consultant
> Flandrau Science Center
> Tucson, AZ
>
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-- 
Beryl Rosenthal, Ph.D.
Director
Tsongas Industrial History Center
Boott Cotton Mills
115 John Street
Lowell, MA 01854
(978) 970-5081 (t)
(978) 970-5085 (f)
[log in to unmask]
www.uml.edu/tsongas/index2.htm
A joint program of UMASS Lowell and Lowell National Historical Park

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Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.

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