|
|
|
|
||
|
||
|
|
||
| SEARCH | SUBSCRIBE | ||
|
 |
Older
drivers can face tough road
By
CHRISTINA REDEKOPP The
Herald-Dispatch, June 25,2003
When Lee Kyger was 16 years old, she couldn’t wait to get her license. At 76, Kyger was brushing up this past week on her driving knowledge through an American Association of Retired Persons 55 Alive Driver Safety Program offered nearly once a month at the Underwood Center in Huntington. Participants in the class agreed taking classes not only serves as a review to the rules of the road, but offers suggestions for drivers to stay safe, and allows them a discount on their vehicle insurance. As the baby boomers age, one in four drivers is expected to be older than 65 by 2030. Some 600,000 people age 70 or older give up their keys each year, estimates the National Institute on Aging. Problems with vision, perception and motor skills increase with age. Diabetes can numb the legs and feet, making it difficult to know if you’re properly pumping the brake. Arthritis can hinder turning and checking for traffic. Losing the ability to drive can be a traumatic experience of aging -- and knowing when it’s time to quit can be difficult. Now, medical and traffic groups are beginning some major programs to address the issue: • The American Medical Association will issue guidelines in July to help doctors tell when older patients’ driving is questionable and get them help to stay on the road as long as it is safe. This fall, the AMA also will run a program to train doctors about medical fitness to drive. • The government recently earmarked $1.6 million to start a National Older Drivers Research Center. Run by the University of Florida and the American Occupational Therapy Association, it will train more certified driving rehabilitation specialists and create better off-road tests to screen drivers for problems. In Huntington, the Hanshaw Geriatric Center at University Physicians this year received a Benedum grant to extend its driving assessment clinic over the next three years and disseminate information throughout the state. Dr. Shirley Neitch, director of the center, said the center is the only one she knows of in the state to offer the testing program, but she has been trying to find out if there is one in Charleston. For the past four years, the center has offered tests to patients referred by doctors or family members when the person’s fitness to drive has been questioned. "We’re trying to find out who can (drive) and encourage them to continue, and find who can’t (drive) and encourage to get them off the road," Neitch said. Basic knowledge, vision and hearing screenings, reflexes and other specific skills that relate to driving are assessed. "There’s a great deal of the process of driving that’s so stereotyped behavior," she said. "Physical skills maintain for a long time. Until vision or judgement or memory goes, they can still drive." Taking a driving assessment test or driving safety classes only offers a suggestion to the driver or the family about whether he or she should continue to drive. In Ohio, if a law enforcement officer encounters a driver whom he or she suspects may not be fit to drive, a re-examination request can be filled out and sent to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, said Sgt. J.R. Smith with the Ohio State Highway Patrol. A concerned citizen can also send a request to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, he said. West Virginia and Kentucky have similar processes. As far as mandatory testing for drivers after a certain age, Pat Martin of Huntington, 63, an elementary school teacher, said that sounds like discrimination against seniors. "I think every individual should go through the test again, not just senior citizens," she said. "Some people are more alert at 80 than some are at 60." Abigale Bruyneel, 25, of Guyandotte, said she thinks people should begin to get tested again after age 45 or 50 because of the chance of eye sight or motor skills diminishing. "I think (elderly drivers) should get tested again," said Joseph Smith, 19, of Huntington. "When you get older, you don’t see as well and aren’t as aware of what’s going on around you. Everyone should just in case. You never know what can happen by the time you get your license renewed." Frances Dooley, 64, of Huntington, agrees everyone should be reviewed. She has taken the AARP driving class three or four times and said she has learned something new each time. Lee Kyger’s husband, Ron Kyger, 76, said many older people want to maintain their independence. "There are some grandparents who, if they have to give up their right to drive, would probably lose some opportunity to hug their grandchildren," he said. Ron Kyger said a social concern exists as far as the population who drives for an occupation. He also is concerned about the large percentage of people in West Virginia who live in rural areas and do not have access to public transportation for doctor’s appointments or to get to the grocery store. Lee Kyger suggested elderly drivers could have graduated driver’s licenses like young drivers who are just getting their operator’s license. Different levels could restrict drivers; for example, one level may mean a driver cannot drive on the Interstate. Lottie Simms, president of the Huntington chapter of the AARP, offers the 55 Alive driving classes at the Underwood Center and other centers. Classes serve as refresher courses to reacquaint drivers with laws and offers suggestions to keep drivers safe, such as driving only during the day or less often. Simms has come into contact with drivers who say the class has helped them decide whether they should continue to drive. Drivers from Kentucky and Ohio can take the classes in Huntington, said Simms, although she’s not certified to teach out of state. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |
