Working Caregiver- Caregiver Articles
AAA launched a new senior safety and mobility Web site
New Site Focuses on Senior Driving Safety in San Jose
By Brian Jackson from the Home Instead Senior Care office in San Jose, CA.
Q. I'm looking for resources to help my 87-year-old father practice safer driving habits and to determine if he's still safe on the road. Do you know of any that could help?
As a matter of fact, AAA launched a new senior safety and mobility Web site, AAA Seniors in June. It includes content and resources based on extensive research, provides families of older drivers with valuable information related to senior mobility challenges and tools to help extend safe driving.
The Web site provides information for senior drivers and those who care about them in three areas:
Sensing - One of the most noticeable effects of aging is diminishing eyesight. We receive 85 percent to 90 of the information necessary to drive through our eyes, so good vision is essential for safe driving. In addition to deteriorating eyesight, mature drivers must also cope with decreased hearing ability. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), hearing loss is one of the most common conditions affecting older adults. Roughly one-third of Americans 65 to 74 years of age and 47 percent of those 75 and older have hearing loss.
Deciding - Once your eyes and ears take in information, it's up to the mind to process it and decide on the best course of action. Age lengthens the time it takes the brain to process information and also makes it harder to ignore distractions. The good news is that experience, mature judgment and good driving habits can many times compensate for those diminished skills.
Acting - Finally, once a senior driver has decided on the best response to the situation, it's time to act. Older drivers can reduce their speed, maintain an escape path and cover the brake (lift the right foot from the accelerator and position it above the brake if a risky situation is imminent.)
Visit the AAA site for more important tips. Home Instead Senior Care in San Jose has a site giving family & seniors more elder care tips and information. Another program called the 40-70 Rule that can help you begin conversations with seniors about sensitive subjects such as driving. Visit www.4070talk.com. If your father decides he should no longer drive, consider another option such as Home Instead Senior Care in San Jose. The company's CAREGivers serve as companions to seniors, assisting them with shopping and errands as well as transportation. CAREGivers are screened, trained, bonded and insured.
For more information about Home Instead Senior Care, contact Brian Jackson at 408-370-6360 or visit the blog giving helpful and useful information on elder care sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care in San Jose.
This article is donated by Brian Jackson at Home Instead Senior Care in San Jose.
