As the population continues to age, the number of senior drivers is increasing. Slower reaction times, reduced eyesight and coping with a loss of independence, are all issues that senior drivers cope with daily.
Through the Geriatric Services Department at Southwest General, certified social workers are available to help families address the key issues of safety and independence with Keeping Us Safe’s “Beyond Driving with Dignity” program.
The program was designed to provide individuals with the tools necessary to help older drivers and their families work through the complicated issue of age-related diminishing driving skills. The program is not built around the premeditated goal of “taking the keys away” from an older driver. Rather, the program helps the older driver and concerned family members make appropriate decisions on the future of the individual’s safe driving career.
“Our program is designed to save lives while simultaneously helping to ease the burden of family members as they find themselves faced with this very challenging issue,” says Matt Gurwell, a retired Ohio State trooper and CEO of Keeping Us Safe.
The Keeping Us Safe program has three primary functions, providing:
• Timely relief to families in need as they face the challenging issue of a loved one’s diminishing driving skills as a result of the natural aging process.
• Assistance and support to older drivers as they face the emotional issue of a driving retirement.
• Educational programs for professionals as they find themselves confronted with this issue in a professional setting.
“Having received this certification, we feel confident in knowing that the Geriatric Services Department at Southwest General is now well-suited to provide older drivers and their families with a very specific program that will help them make decisions on how to keep the older driver safe,” said Donna Barrett, manager, Community Health and Geriatric Services, Southwest General. “Our goal through this program is to provide as many resources as possible to the older driver and the family as well as to serve as an emotional guide throughout the process.”
If you would like to learn more about Southwest General’s Beyond Driving with Dignity program, call the Health Connection at 440-816-5050 or visit keepingussafe.org.
Article courtesy of Southwest General.
