Safety Tips: Drive Defensively

Most drivers feel they could drive in their sleep, but if you replaced their standard gas pedal (on the right), with a left-foot accelerator, (which many with disabilities use), it becomes a whole new experience, takes much more concentration and brushing up on the old rules.

Even if you were an excellent driver before a disability, you are a newbie to adaptive driving. After taking a driver rehabilitation course and getting out on the road by yourself, you should not assume you can automatically drive safely in every condition.

Old rules still apply, like: “Don’t multitask!” That one is even more important today, with electronic toys like cell phones and iPods, so don’t fiddle with the radio, eat, drink or do anything else that takes your eyes off the road – even for a second. Such distractions are a major contributor to accidents, especially for seniors. That said; here are more tips on driving like your life depends on it.

• Adjust mirrors before you even start the engine and check the side and rear-view mirrors every 15 seconds while driving, especially if you have vision problems.
• A safe rule of distance between cars is for every 10 miles per hour of speed; leave at least one car length of space between your vehicle and the one ahead; more if your reaction time is slower than it once was.
• Double check blind spots before changing lanes. The blind spot on the right is larger than the left one, so give it more attention. Especially handy for those with decreased peripheral vision.
• Move your seat close enough to the steering wheel so your wrist can rest on top of the wheel with your arm outstretched and your back against the seat. This is the best position for changing lanes quickly, should you need to.
• Setting the air conditioning to a cooler temp helps to stay alert. If you tire easily, stop and do light exercise.

This mobility safety update has been brought to you by NMEDA – the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association. Need some information on how to make your vehicle wheelchair accessible or upgraded with the latest and most convenient features? Contact a NMEDA dealer in your local area. Your local NMEDA member is a mobility equipment and accessibility expert!

Driving, Medications and Your Safety

Most seniors take one or more prescription medicines. Prescription drugs and over-the-counter (OTC) medications may cause drowsiness or slowed reactions, especially if you combine several of them. Those side effects are the cause of many driving accidents. To make things worse, we become more sensitive to a pill’s effects as we age.

Ingredients found in popular allergy and cold medications can:

• Significantly alter your ability to follow at a safe distance and keep the car in your lane.
• Impair coordination.
• Slow down reaction time.

• Cause drowsiness, anxiety, dizziness and blurred vision.

Drugs or medicines for other common conditions such as diabetes, depression and even Viagra can severely affect your ability to drive.

What to do

Read all labels. “Do not operate heavy machinery” doesn’t just refer to a jack hammer – your vehicle is heavy machinery. Find out how long that dose of medication lasts. An hour? Ten hours? You may be driving dangerously for that amount of time and not even realize it.

Read the fine print on the never-ending pamphlet that accompanies the bottle. Look for “side effects” and the “rare” side effects in even finer print. Are you experiencing any of them?

Ask your doctor and your pharmacist about side effects and mixing your particular drugs, especially when driving. Each of your doctors should know all the prescription, OTC medications and supplements you take.

Mail-order pharmacies and some insurance companies have a toll-free number to consult with a pharmacist about side effects of your medications.

Even if the drug is approved for driving, a new medicine may have unpredictable side effects in your unique case. Do not drive when taking a new medicine until you know how it affects you.

Never take more than the prescribed dose, or take anyone else’s medicine. If you plan to drive, ask if a non-sedating variety of your prescription is available.

This mobility safety update has been brought to you by NMEDA – the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association. Need some information on how to make your vehicle wheelchair accessible or upgraded with the latest and most convenient features? Contact a NMEDA dealer in your local area. Your local NMEDA member is a mobility equipment and accessibility expert!

Vehicle Turning Seats Add Maneuverability

Seniors who are physically challenged and those with disabilities who have difficulty entering and exiting a vehicle can appreciate the maneuverability of a swivel or turning seat. Such devices are commonly recommended by rehabilitation experts because they move the seat back, forward, up, down and sideways.
They are especially valued in higher vehicles or motor homes because they eliminate the climbing and twisting of getting in and out.
An electronically-controlled turning seat allows the vehicle seat to swivel out and lower to wheelchair seat height. You transfer from the wheelchair or scooter to the vehicle seat and the turning seat lifts you up and into the vehicle. For smaller vehicles, the seat simply rotates in and out over the door sill.
If you’re in a wheelchair in the middle part of a van, an electronically controlled swivel seat can slide backward and forward to transfer you into the driver’s position. Up and down controls help in the process, if needed.
• Turning seats are installed by mobility equipment dealers and installers who specialize in vehicle modifications for those with disabilities.
• There are no structural modifications to the vehicle – plus you can have it taken out and installed in your next vehicle.
• Such devices can be installed in new or used vehicles, and mobility reimbursement programs may pay up to $1,000.
If a turning seat is more than you need:
• If you just need a little extra maneuverability, a simple grab bar installed on the inside or outside may be all you require.
• If you need more than a grab bar, look into a manual swivel. Pull a simple lever and the seat swivels through approximately 90 degrees. You can then easily stand up or do a sliding transfer onto your wheelchair or scooter. You may have a grab handle or assist strap installed for ease of transfer.
This mobility safety update has been brought to you by NMEDA – the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association. Need some information on how to make your vehicle wheelchair accessible or upgraded with the latest and most convenient features? Contact a NMEDA dealer in your local area. Your local NMEDA member is a mobility equipment and accessibility expert!

Seniors: How to Ease the Stress of Driving

My grandchildren and I have something in common: we are both in the age groups most at risk for accidents on the road – for different reasons, of course. They’re inexperienced and in a hurry, while I’m experienced, sometimes I lose my confidence when I get behind the wheel to drive.

Compared to my younger self, my brain is slower, my reaction time is in slow motion, and my eyesight is not what it was.

My most unnerving spot – as it is for many senior drivers – is an intersection, particularly left turns, especially those without a left-turn light. (Many of us avoid the dreaded left turn by making three right turns to get where we’re going.)

It’s too much information to our brains and too many decisions! Either we balk and hit the guy in front of us, or we don’t proceed quickly enough and everyone starts honking. It’s unnerving, frustrating – and dangerous.

Our problems are threefold:

• Vision: depth perception, peripheral vision, glare
• Decision-making: We can’t make decisions fast enough for this split-second world.
• Physical dexterity: Our necks no longer swivel to scope every view and our backs hurt too much to turn anyway.

Take heart! Whatever our age or disability, there is a solution to ease the stress.

Adaptive devices:

• Buy eyeglasses that reduce the glare. (And get your eyes tested.)
• Larger side view and rear view mirrors are more panoramic (and without hurting necks or backs).
• Accessible hand controls can be a godsend for those with arthritis or limb problems. They allow us to manipulate the steering wheel easily, even the gas and brakes.

Boosting confidence helps make decision-making less panicky:  For long trips, map your route out, either with a gas-station map or download directions from a computer. Get a GPS (Global Positioning System). Take a cell phone. Ask a friend along.

Need more solutions? Locate a Driver Rehabilitation Specialist in your area by contacting The Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists, 2425 N. Center St., #369 Hickory, North Carolina 28601 or visit www.aded.net. Call 828-855-1623, 866-672-9466 toll free in the United States and Canada.

This mobility safety update has been brought to you by NMEDA – the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association. Need some information on how to make your car wheelchair accessible or upgraded with the latest and most convenient features? Contact a NMEDA dealer in your local area. Your local NMEDA member is a mobility equipment and accessibility expert!

Caregivers: Taking Care of the Aging Adult

It is sometimes enriching and sometimes challenging to be the caregiver of elderly parents. It takes love and patience – plus many available resources.

Once you know how to physically care for your loved one, it is time to prepare for other possible needs, including your own.

PREPARATION

• Make sure you know your parents’ date of birth and Social Security number and have a copy of their Medicare cards.
• Know your parents’ insurance details plus their physicians’ names and phone numbers.
• Have a list of all medications (prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, nutritional supplements, vitamins), dosage amounts and what time they take them. Take this list to every medical appointment.
• Know the health history of major illness and medical conditions for your parents and their siblings.
• If transporting them is a problem, you may need to make your vehicle more accessible to the elderly. Having the proper equipment can help prevent injury to you and the person you are transporting. Lifts, ramps and wheelchair carriers are just a few.

RESPITE FOR YOU

As a caregiver, it is easy to become overwhelmed, caregiver stress and burnout are common. As hard as we try, we can’t always do everything ourselves.

If family members can’t help, call Eldercare Locator, a public service of the U.S. Administration on Aging. It finds local agencies in every U.S. community that can help seniors and their family’s access home and community-based services like transportation, meals, home care, and caregiver support services. Call 800-677-1116 or visit www.eldercare.gov.

Consider hiring a care manager. These professionals are trained to quickly assess the overall situation, make recommendations about needed services and, if necessary, coordinate community resources and hire and manage paid caregivers. Start with the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers. The website www.caremanagers.org (phone 520-881-8008) includes a locator to find care managers near your loved one, plus great tips on hiring an in-home caregiver.

You want the best care possible for your loved ones. And that starts with taking care of yourself.

This mobility safety update has been brought to you by NMEDA – the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association. Need some information on how to make your vehicle wheelchair accessible or upgraded with the latest and most convenient features? Contact a NMEDA dealer in your local area. Your local NMEDA member is a mobility equipment and accessibility expert!

Seniors: Is it Time To Hang Up The Car Keys?

Age affects each step of the driving process: sensing, deciding and acting. For the older driver, each step takes longer. Does that mean we should hang up our keys and sell the car? Maybe. Maybe not. If a doctor okays you physically, there are tips to help us drive safer.

A typical driver makes 20 decisions per mile, with less than half a second to act to avoid a collision. As if that isn’t difficult enough, research shows our driving ability begins to worsen at age 55. We hate to admit it, but our eyesight deteriorates, reaction times slow and flexibility is not what it was. To compensate, we only drive to areas we know and don’t drive during rush hour.

Luckily, studies show that exercise can actually slow the aging process. Stretching and strengthening exercises add huge benefits to body flexibility so we move more freely and see the road from all angles.
We could take a driver refresher course and learn new techniques to compensate for aging (www.seniordrivers.org, AAA, AARP and others). A course may even qualify seniors for an insurance discount. A car with updated features can make a difference. Look for these features when buying a new car:

• Height-adjustable seats: We get shorter with age and can lose a whopping three inches by age 75. An adjustable seat height gives us a boost for a good line of sight through every window.

• Tilt/telescoping steering wheel: Our shoulders should be level with the top of the steering wheel and the breastbone at least 10 inches from the airbag. A steering wheel that both tilts and telescopes helps us find a safer position.

• Height-adjustable safety belt anchors: An adjustable shoulder-belt anchor can make for a comfortable fit, regardless of our size. For greatest safety, the lap belt should be across the pelvis, not over the stomach.
Is it time to hang up the keys? Not yet!

This mobility safety update has been brought to you by NMEDA – the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association. Need some information on how to make your vehicle wheelchair accessible or upgraded with the latest and most convenient features? Contact a NMEDA dealer in your local area. Your local NMEDA member is a mobility equipment and accessibility expert!