Still skilled behind the wheel?

LIMA — Georgia Cress was worried about her husband, Frederick. A doctor diagnosed him with Alzheimer's disease. The recommendation: Frederick needs to stop driving.It wasn't a suggestion Frederick took well.“He argued with the doctor and said he'd just stop taking his medication,” Cress said. “I did not know what to do.”The concern conveyed by the doctor was real. Could Cress' husband safely operate the car and maintain that independence? Cress said they talked about the potential consequences — including getting into a crash that kills or seriously injures someone else — at length.“It wasn't until our son, Larry, came in and calmly drew a line down a piece of paper that things changed,” Cress said. “He listed the pros and cons for driving. When he was done, there were way more things on the con list. After that, my husband gave me the keys and never said anything about driving again.”Cress said she was able to keep Frederick at home with her about a year after he gave up driving. Eventually, it was too much for her to handle and he went into a nursing home, she said. Frederick died in October.“The day that you sit there and feel sorry for yourself is the day you might as well give up yourself,” she said. “I want to be active until the day I die.”Conversations like the ones held by the Cress family are becoming increasingly more prevalent as the American population ages. Advances in medicine, a growing focus on nutrition, overall health and wellness, along with technology that has made cars easier for people to drive, have contributed to people aiming to stay behind the wheel longer than ever before.All those advances, however, have had one unique, unintended consequence: Drivers are outliving their physical ability to safely get behind the wheel.“There's one projection that was made that projects as we look at the aging baby boomers that women will outlive their driving life by 10 years and men by seven,” said Elin Schold Davis, coordinator of the American Occupational Therapy Association's Older Driver Initiative. “We used to have various funny lines that we used to expect to drive to our funerals. The idea that I would stay in my home longer than I could drive was never really something on the radar years ago.”The senior tsunamiThe issue of keeping older drivers safe on the road has taken on a new urgency in the past few years, Schold Davis said. Three years ago, the American Occupational Therapy Association, along with AAA, started Older Driver Safety Awareness Week. This year's observation ended Friday. The weeklong public awareness campaign was specifically targeted between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays because of the opportunities potential family gatherings have for honest conversations, she said.Statistics cited by the American Occupational Therapy Association show more than 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day, a trend projected to continue for 19 years. In fact, in the next 10 years, one in four licensed drivers will be 65 or older.“We call it the senior tsunami that's coming,” Schold Davis said.. “As much as that might be sort of an amusing statement, one of the things I like about it is tsunamis are like a big wall. They don't allow you to ramp up slowly. It's another reason for the awareness campaign. We should not dawdle on this. People need to become aware of what their resources are and people need to take a proactive stance within their own families to help get their loved ones the services they need.”Providing services to older drivers was one of the key reasons AAA joined the effort, said Kimberly Schwind, a spokeswoman for AAA Ohio Auto Club.“At AAA, we really advocate for the safety of all drivers. That starts with teens and goes all the way through to senior drivers,” Schwind said. “We have programs in place for senior drivers. We really need to continue to advocate for the safety of these drivers especially as our population continues to age.AAA offers a number of programs to help give motorists a hand in making decisions about when it's time to let someone else handle the driving. The AAA Roadwise Review is a computer-based self-screening tool to assess a driver's functional abilities. Another program, Car Fit, aims to ensure senior drivers fit in their cars — looking at seat belt usage, gas and brake foot pedal placement, among others.“We don't want to take the keys from them,” Schwind said. “We want to make sure that these older drivers are driving safer, longer. That's our ultimate goal.”Options limitedThere are few options specifically targeted toward helping older drivers maintain their independence as long as possible, experts admitted.“I want seniors to demand these programs if they don't have them. We need services in our area because this is coming,” Schold Davis said. “We need citizens to speak up because programs respond. When people tell us what they need programs grow. It's hard to make programs grow when people aren't asking for them. Every community deserves to have a range of resources available to the citizens to help them stay mobile, stay engaged and keep going to things.”Betsy Winget, executive director of Senior Citizens Services Inc., said she's not aware of any local agencies, including her own, that provide evaluations and services designed to help older drivers assess their ability to continue driving.Linda Chartrand, spokeswoman for St. Rita's Medical Center, said the hospital's occupational health department has an assessment program. She cautioned, however, that it isn't something that's available to everyone.“This program is for people who have real physical problems. There has to be a physical impairment that they've been working with their physician on,” Chartrand said. “There has to be physician's prescription to take part in the program. It's not something that's open to just anyone to do an evaluation.”Cress and friend Katy Simmons said that, despite the lack of locally available assessment options, they are determined to keep driving as long as possible.“I'm not considering giving up driving myself anytime soon,” Cress, 83, said. “I just hope when the day comes that I can't drive that I'm willing to give it up. That day will probably come.”Cress and Simmons said they stay active and engaged with friends throughout the community as a means to stay sharp for driving.“It's very important to me to keep driving,” Simmons, 90, said. “I belong to a couple of clubs, I come here (Senior Citizens Services). I can't depend on the kids. If I wasn't still driving, I'd have to give things up.”Both Cress and Simmons said it's their ability to continue driving, taking part in programs like those offered by Senior Citizens Service and just social interaction in general that helps keep the skills sharp they need to be safe when they get behind the wheel.“We're better off to just keep moving,” Simmons said. “I feel good enough that I don't worry about it.”