Transportation Introduction

The culture of the automobile:

Transportation in our society has evolved during this century. Once considered a link or means of getting from one place to another transportation has become a major fact of our lives. Indeed it is still a link but an ever more vital one bringing us to work, recreation, social and shopping functions as well as to our cultural and religious identifiers.

The automobile in the last 100 years has changed our lives significantly. We travel farther and with greater mobility for any number of reasons. Auto travel provides an enormous sense of independence and no one has had this sense of independence longer than seniors.

A consequence of aging is the reduction in the skills and ability to drive and drive safely. Cars are without doubt the premiere form of transit for maximum access to the whole social range of point to point opportunities. Cars are a major identifier of independence. To forgo driving can be a major and significant point in ones life.

Independent mobility is the means of connecting to family, friends, commerce, employment, education, personal and medical care, recreational and cultural enrichment and religious fulfillment. This is the way the folks have gotten around for a long time and it has been an optimal means of transport.

Mom/Dad are a part of the fastest growing segment of the population in the U.S. As this portion of the driving public increases so to does the number of persons unable to drive safely. For seniors there are no firm or set guidelines that determine when a person should stop driving. There are reasons for this. For example older people tend to drive less than others and generally less at night. Consequently it can be difficult to assess driving abilities overall.

Also some seniors over time tend to adapt to the common physical limitations that age may bring on and consequently adapt their driving as well. Driving slower due to reflex and vision impairment is an example. Usually the reduction in driving occurs of a long period of time.

Yet older Americans are driving more than ever taking more trips and driving longer distances. This is due to the ever increasing and longer living elder population and other factors such as greater discretionary income, more time and expanded social and personal activities. This will, as transportation experts point out, lead to significant increases in traffic accidents and fatalities.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Everyone is different. Some people have functional disabilities that occur only very late in life and consequently are still able to carry out fundamental and physical tasks including driving for a long time. However with everyone it is just a question of time.

As we know the aging process brings on functional impairments. Whatever these limitations may be, hearing, vision, judgement, reflexes, etc they should not in themselves be a deciding factor on whether one should drive but rather what the impairment does for functional ability.

It could well be that Mom/Dad recognizes some limitation and will restrict their driving habits voluntarily. For example, night blindness could force Dad to realize that for safety reasons he will limit his driving to daylight hours.

Eldercare, health professionals and possibly even you and other family members will be challenged in determining when and under what conditions it is acceptable for a parent to continue driving.

Changes in Modes of Mobility

At some point there may come a time when Mom and/or Dad will cease driving. This can be a major life style change and the how, why and when will be decided by factors determined by the family, care providers and the folks (directly or indirectly) themselves. It will be a combination of the aging limiting factors mentioned, a series of incidents, licensing agencies or other circumstances that bring about this change.

With a lifetime of convenience and access available by car the folks will face the consequences of significantly altering their social and personal lifestyles when driving is no longer available. Freedom and independence are core values of American life that are available through driving. To relinquish this privilege can mean a dramatic shift in lifestyle and personal identification.

There may come a time when you become worried about Dad’s driving. Perhaps you have noticed something or someone has mentioned to you that they have seen or observed certain things. How does this subject get approached? On one hand there may be genuine reasons of concern for safety and well-being. On the other is the trepidation one might feel about severely restricting a parent’s independence. You may realize this. If you become the “judge” of your parents’ driving abilities it may come with the consequences of guilt, animosity, divisiveness and other forms of anguish.

As mentioned there are no “guidelines” or formulas that determine when a particular senior individual should cease driving unless of course there are obvious mitigating factors like severe physical or mental incapacitates.

Probably a good starting point is with open and frank discussion with Mom/Dad. There are several ways to approach this and it really comes down to the report you have with the folks and the level of their driving abilities. To instigate conversation there are things that can be brought up:

• The cost of driving, maintenance, insurance, gas prices, etc
• The hazards presented by other drivers

These driving related “problems” have likely confronted the folk’s and given them cause to consider how they have to cope with these circumstances. Explore these issues in the context of how Mom/Dad at some point might curtail or eliminate driving altogether. Most people will want to avoid this decision for as long as possible. Information, education and planning can be instrumental here.

Conversations with the folks can lead to discussion about the alternatives to driving. What are the pros and cons? What are the options. As with other subjects discussed in this guide (housing, trusts) advance planning works in everyone’s interest if the concerns are mutually shared and discussed. Your folks have planned for their retirement from work and this can be very similar. Retiring from driving as a planned approach may be comfortable for the folks. It addresses the issue openly and with education about the alternatives and the benefits derived can be less threatening that “taking away the keys” or losing independence and mobility.

Evaluation/Assessment
Cessation of the driving habit can be difficult to break. Done within the family evaluation of driving can be handled with a caring yet objective approach. But there may be other outside factors that may enter into this process. These factors may play a part in this evaluation process.

For example, most major insurance companies offer a “Senior Discount” to drivers who take a driving test. This economic incentive while small is intended to get drivers to take an objective look at their driving skills.

Most states require that all drivers, at some point and regardless of driving record, come in and take a written and driving exam including a vision test. Many state motor vehicle departments special evaluation programs offered to seniors. Most states also have some form of “conditional” driving license, such as driving only during daylight hours.

Doctors, due to professional liability, will often report circumstances or events that may impair a person’s driving abilities.

The American Association of Retired Persons offers a very good older driver skill assessment guide, contact AARP and ask for booklet “Older Driver Skill Assessment and Resource Guide”.

601 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20049
1 800 424-3410
www.aarp.org

Mobility Options

There are real concerns and fears that the folks may confront when no longer able to drive. “How can they get to the doctors?”, “What if there’s an emergency?”, “How do they get groceries and do a million other chores?” are all legitimate questions.

Regardless whether the folks planned the retirement from driving, suddenly just stopped for a particular, or no particular, reason or have not been driving for a while it is important to assess the alternate transportation options.

The immediate and obvious transportation for Mom/Dad is usually nearby family and friends. Depending on the dynamics and circumstances of your family this may or may not always practical, feasible and even desirable.

As part of being a caregiver, transportation can become a responsibility, and it can also become burdensome and intrusive in other family member’s lives’. It is important then to determine all of the transit options available to you and the family.

Every community is different and the transportation services offered will vary. It is important to identify all of transit modes available. The best place to start is with the local Area Agency on Aging. Refer to the folk’s local phone book in either the government listings (blue pages) and/or the yellow pages for community services, social services, senior centers or aging. If you need help call the ELDERCARE LOCATOR at 1 800 677-1116, be sure to have the county an/or zip code your folks live in and explain that your looking for transit assistance in that area.

Another source of transit information is the National Transit Hotline, which provides resource data on local transit agencies providing senior and disabled transit service. Contact at 1 800 527-8279. They have a website at www.ctaa.org. If moving or travel to another area is planned access the database at www.projectaction.org.

Relying on community service transit can be difficult especially if the folks have recently retired from driving. A great deal of independence and convenience is forfeited. It should be pointed out that there are benefits such as the reduced expense of private autos, insurance, upkeep, fuel, etc.

Alternate Transportation

Depending on the particular community in which your folks live there will almost certainly be some form of transit available. Again it is urged that all options be explored to provide the greatest flexibility in transportation planning.

• Fixed Route - is typically a public transit service operating on specific routes at specific times. There is usually a fare involved either at the time of the ride or prepaid (i.e. monthly passes) and there is almost always a senior discount fare available.

• Ride Sharing - is often a program wherein a scheduled ride is provided by a driver (sometimes a volunteer) for seniors needing transportation to specific locations such as shopping, doctors, etc. Sometimes this programs are operated by local senior centers or the community transit agency.

• Dial-A-Ride - is a system that provides direct point to point scheduled transit. This is not always available in every community although it is a highly individualized form of transit. Check with the local senior and social service agencies as well as the local transit agency.

• Other Options - sometimes local civic and religious organizations provide vehicles and volunteer drivers to seniors. Commercial properties such as medical centers and shopping malls often have free or small fee transit available to customers. Some areas have commercial transportation that provide “taxi/limousine” like services available to seniors.

• Walking - under the right circumstances can be a healthy and beneficial means of mobility. Safety and crime are two important considerations for seniors who walk. Everyone who is able should be encouraged to walk. It is a means of transit often overlooked which offers fresh views on the world and its environmentally friendly. For more information on walking contact the Pedestrian Federation of America – 1 202 463-6624.

• Bicycling - depending on abilities and health of the individual and the traffic/safety conditions of the routes this can be an excellent mode of transit.

• Electric carts - are a safe and common vehicular mode of transit in senior communities. These vehicles are used strictly for very short trips very near to home. In senior communities virtually all necessities are near the home.