A Day in Their Slippers: GERT Training at The Malthouse

The Malthouse care home in Gillingham, Dorset, recently hosted GERT suit training as part of the Healthcare Homes Academy programme. The training helps care teams understand the physical challenges associated with ageing and dementia.

Experienced Academy trainers delivered the session. Teams across Healthcare Homes continue to benefit from GERT suit training as part of ongoing development in person-centred dementia care.

Understanding the GERT Suit

The GERT age simulation suit replicates a range of physical changes linked to ageing. These include reduced strength, joint stiffness, changes in balance, and sensory limitations.

The suit acts as a practical training tool. It helps colleagues understand how ageing can affect movement, confidence, and independence. It also highlights how small changes in care can improve daily experiences for residents.

The GERT age-simulation suit helps users to experience some of the physical and sensory changes associated with ageing.

Sessions take place inside the home. This allows colleagues to move through familiar spaces while wearing the suit. They experience the same corridors, doorways, and communal areas that residents use every day.

Once fitted, colleagues quickly notice a difference. Simple movements require more effort. Walking, turning, sitting, and standing all feel more demanding. Even short distances take more concentration.

Colleague Observations

During the session at The Malthouse, colleagues shared key reflections:

• Movement feels slower and less automatic
• Everyday tasks require more concentration
• Steps, thresholds, and turns become harder to manage
• Fatigue builds more quickly during routine activity
• Clear communication is vital during physical support

These insights helped colleagues better understand how daily life can feel for people with reduced mobility or age-related physical changes.

Trainer Insight

Healthcare Homes Academy trainer Paul Hamer led the session. He has over 20 years of experience in health and social care.

Paul supported colleagues throughout the training. He encouraged reflection at each stage. He helped link the experience of the suit to real care situations.

His focus remained on practical learning. He aimed to help colleagues build empathy and confidence. He also reinforced the importance of understanding each resident’s individual experience.

Paul Hamer, Healthcare Homes Academy trainer

Linking Learning to Practice

The training reinforced key principles already central to care at The Malthouse and across Healthcare Homes:

• Give residents more time to move and complete tasks
• Avoid rushing or taking over tasks unnecessarily
• Consider how the environment affects mobility
• Check understanding before offering physical support
• Recognise effort as well as ability

These principles help teams deliver safer, more respectful, and more personalised care.

Supporting Person-Centred Care

The GERT suit remains a valuable part of the Healthcare Homes Academy training programme. It helps colleagues experience aspects of ageing in a practical way.

This experience builds empathy and strengthens understanding. It also supports consistent, person-centred care across the organisation.

At The Malthouse and across Healthcare Homes, experiential learning like this continues to shape confident, compassionate teams. It ensures residents receive care that reflects their needs, abilities, and lived experience.

Colleagues at The Malthouse took part in GERT suit training to better understand the physical challenges of ageing.

Supporting Person-Centred Care

The GERT suit remains a valuable training resource within the Healthcare Homes Academy. By offering colleagues the opportunity to experience aspects of ageing first-hand, it strengthens understanding, builds empathy, and reinforces the importance of personalised support.

At The Malthouse and across Healthcare Homes, this type of experiential learning continues to play a key role in developing compassionate teams and ensuring residents receive care that truly reflects their individual needs, abilities, and experiences.

Luke Smout

Marketing Executive