Tag Archive for: awareness
During the week of October 16–20, 2023, the faculty will host the exhibition “That Crab That Pins Us Down,” and Barbara PASTRE GLATZ (La Montpellier Reine) will organize a lecture in which the models featured in the exhibition will share stories about their new lives.
We hope to see many of you there on Thursday, October 19, at 6:00 p.m. in the UPM lecture hall on the Arnaud de Villeneuve Health Campus.
The SPES (Primary Care, Environment, and Health) program is a training program offered by the Department of General Medicine at the Montpellier-Nîmes School of Medicine.
Older adults account for more than 20% of the French population (Source: INSEE 2020), yet the aging process remains poorly understood. Thanks to the simulation tools offered in this innovative workshop, participants will be able to take a leap forward in time by several years. This will allow them to hone their skills in supporting older adults through hands-on experience.
Why this workshop?
This workshop, offered by the School of Geriatrics and Gerontology, was created to allow participants to experience the main impairments associated with aging.
It is led by its administrative manager, Myriam Taroudjit, and Marie-Laure Portalez, a design engineer.
Special equipment allows participants to experience firsthand the main age-related sensory impairments. This helps them recognize the challenges faced by older adults and better understand their behaviors and specific needs.
“True experiential learning aimed at improving the quality of life for older adults”
The effectiveness of this simulation-based method was the subject of a study conducted by medical students at Julius-Maximilians University in Würzburg (Dr. med. Filz S.A., Dr. med. Swoboda W., et al.).
The research, conducted in the form of practical training sessions that involved wearing a simulation suit, yielded the following results:
- Ability to empathize with the living conditions of an elderly person after the practicum: 83% of participants.
- Ability to put oneself in the shoes of an older adult after the practicum: 90% of participants.
- Understanding of an older adult’s physical condition after the practicum: 95% of participants
How?
Using simulation scenarios consisting of several elements, participants put themselves in the shoes of an older adult by experiencing the physical and emotional challenges associated with aging.
Here are a few examples:
SPECIAL GLASSES
They cause a change in color perception, grainy blurriness, sensitivity to glare, and/or a narrowing of the visual field
HEARING AID
It causes high-frequency hearing loss
THE WEIGHT VEST
This vest allows participants to experience spinal curvature, forward pelvic tilt, postural weakness, restricted mobility, loss of strength, increased physical stress, and/or impaired balance.
GLOVES
They cause restricted hand mobility, reduced dexterity, and diminished tactile sensation
ANKLE WEIGHTS
Ankle weights cause a loss of muscle strength, impaired coordination, and an unsteady gait due to shuffling one's feet
THE SOFT INSOLE OF THE OVERBOOT
This unique insole provides a cushioned feel and reduces the sensation of contact with the ground, creating a feeling of instability.
SPECIAL GLOVES
These other gloves allow for the simulation of tremors, which are realistically reproduced through electrical muscle stimulation and a continuously adjustable control module
Feedback from Our Students
Every year, this innovative workshop is offered to the School’s students to complement their curriculum and deepen their understanding of older adults. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive:
Stéphanie: “This workshop was very interesting, and everyone who works with older adults should have the opportunity to participate in this simulation workshop. Losing one’s senses is very unsettling.”

Mariam: “This afternoon, I experienced firsthand what the older adults I care for go through every day: muscle pain, hearing and vision problems, and slowed movements—all caused by an environment that is no longer safe for them to navigate.”

Maïlys: “In a professional setting, I will pay even closer attention to these ‘pains’ and how people experience and cope with them in their daily lives, so that I can best tailor my responses to their needs.”
More photos:
The Teddy Bear Hospital is back in 2022! To learn all about this meaningful and heartwarming awareness campaign, read this article!
THealthcare students in Montpellier are joining forces for a campaign that raises awareness
As we have done every year since 2002, our students in the medicine, midwifery, and speech-language pathology programs (through the student associations ACM, AMESF and Dislalie) are teaming up with students in the pharmacy, dentistry, physical therapy, and occupational therapy programs to organize an event that is as unique for its warmth as it is for its usefulness: The Teddy Bear Hospital.
The concept? Healthcare students welcome preschoolers from underprivileged neighborhoods to introduce them to the hospital environment and health checkups through a fun role-playing activity: their stuffed animals will be the “patients” for the day!
A Mini Transdisciplinary Care Program for Stuffed Animals
The event, which will take place this year from March 28 to April 1, will feature a mini medical care station for children’s stuffed animals, spread across 12 preschool classes. A real “mini-hospital”!
The program features no fewer than 15 multidisciplinary care booths! To prepare for working with children, the students running the booths received special training from a child psychiatrist at the Montpellier University Hospital.
Booths run by medical students (ACM)
- Pulmonology – Cardiology
- Radiology
- Ophthalmology
- Dermatology
- Gastroenterology
- General Medicine
- Anesthesia and Surgery
- Emergencies
- Nutrition – Sports Medicine – Environmental Medicine
Booth run by the maieutics students (AMESF)
- Vaccination Booth
Booth run by speech-language pathology students (DISLALIA)
- Booth on sign language, hearing, and attention
Booths run by students from other health-related programs:
- Pharmacy: Medications and Lice
- Dental: dental care
- Occupational Therapy: Raising Awareness About Disabilities
- Physical Therapy: Balance Exercises
Goal: To make the hospital environment seem less intimidating and to promote health education
“While white coats can sometimes intimidate young children, the goal of this initiative is really to make hospital exams—which children may have to undergo in the future—seem less daunting,” explains Carlota, ISS Vice President of ACM Corpo.
“To round out the picture and make it feel more real, the students even prepared mini health insurance cards and mock health records !” explains Pauline, second VP of ISS at ACM Corpo.
With a setup like this, there’s no doubt that our little guests’ teddy bears will come out in great shape!
Practical Information
Where: Arnaud de Villeneuve Campus, 2nd floor
When: March 28–April 1, 2022
On Tuesday, November 16, the Féminin Pluriel Montpellier Méditerranée collective, in partnership with the Faculty of Medicine, the CIDFF, AG2R la Mondiale, and the Agnes McLaren Association, is hosting a screening of an awareness-raising film on this topic to mark November, which is dedicated to combating violence against women. The screening will be followed by a discussion in the Faculty’s anatomy lecture hall. See the program for this themed evening below.
A documentary film, produced collaboratively
More than just an awareness-raising film, this film—produced with the support of the Collectif Féminin Pluriel Montpellier Méditerranée—is a documentary based on personal testimonies. It tells the stories of six women who have experienced domestic violence. As active participants in the film’s production, guided by two female directors, these six women not only shared their stories but also helped shape the film’s concept. The film will be screened on November 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the Faculty of Medicine’s auditorium.
Designed primarily as an educational resource for teenage girls, the film is also intended for a broad audience, as domestic violence is an issue that affects people from all social and cultural backgrounds, as well as all genders.

A screening followed by a discussion, with the filmmakers in attendance
The screening of the documentary will be followed by an open discussion and a chance to exchange views on the topic of domestic violence. Beyond physical violence, what other types of domestic violence exist? How can we recognize such violence? How can we intervene, alert others, and help victims? How can victims rebuild their lives? These are just some of the topics that will be addressed during the discussion.
A free event, open to everyone, with registration required
To make it accessible to as many people as possible, this screening is open to everyone.
Due to the current health situation, you must present a health pass and register for the event in advance (click the button below).
Downtown Montpellier: Historic Building
2 rue École de Médecine
CS 59001
34060 Montpellier cx 2
04 34 43 36 00
North Montpellier
641 Avenue du Doyen Gaston Giraud
34070 Montpellier
04 34 43 35 00/01
Nîmes
186 Chemin du Carreau de Lanes
CS 83021
30908 Nîmes cedex 2
04 66 02 81 81
Montpellier Botanical Garden
34000 Montpellier






















