Posted on: Sunday, December 5, 2004
Seniors struggle to find a way to get around
By Zenaida Serrano
Advertiser Staff Writer
Transportation is a major issue for seniors, many of whom would prefer to drive themselves. They say alternative means of mobility are either too inconvenient or too costly.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser With 51 years of driving experience behind her and the fortune of good health, Shirley Thomas, 65, won't be giving up her car keys anytime soon.
"Transportation is important to senior citizens because it's a way to maintain their independence, and to remain self-sufficient and self-reliant," said the retired airlines customer-service representative who lives in Makiki.
At a recent AARP driver safety class in Dillingham, Thomas learned that in several years, she'll have to adjust to the physical and mental changes that come with aging, and one day she may have to give up driving altogether.
How drivers can compensate for changes brought about by aging:
• Have regular medical and vision checkups. • Avoid driving in stressful traffic situations. • Limit your driving to familiar areas. • Concentrate on the whole traffic scene. • Don't drive when emotionally upset or not feeling well. • Avoid prolonged hours of driving. • Have a passenger with you to help navigate.
Source: AARP Driver Safety Program "There are times that I see people driving who are older than me and ... they don't realize that they're creating havoc on the roads," Thomas said. "This class is bringing out things that senior citizens can see in themselves and ... it makes you think whether you should still be driving."
Yvonne Whitehead, 65, knows she doesn't belong in the driver's seat. The retired nurses aide, who suffers from asthma and diabetes, stopped driving in 2000 soon after her husband died.
"Mainly I'm afraid I might hurt someone ... I don't want to put anyone else in danger," she said.
Whitehead uses The HandiVan, which runs from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., but she said the service can be costly.
"Even though it's $4 a ride (per round trip), sometimes people have to go places five times a week, and (it costs) a lot," she said.
Now she gets around with the help of a paid companion, who drives Whitehead to places like the grocery store and to medical appointments for $10 an hour.
The problems faced by seniors are tied to a transportation system that is heavily reliant on the private automobile, said Karl Kim, professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa.
"If you don't drive, you're out of luck, and if you're too old to drive, you have few options," Kim said.
When it comes to tackling major transportation issues, seniors and their loved ones shouldn't hesitate to contact elected officials — their neighborhood-board member, City Council representative or state legislator, said Sue Sakai, who's part of AARP Hawai'i's executive council, a voluntary advisory committee.
"These are people who have a say on what programs should be funded and where monies need to go," Sakai said.
"And not just elected officials, but the general public," Kim said. "We need this kind of grassroots effort."
Without such mobility, many older people report a sense of loss and isolation, according to a study done by AARP. But at some point, for safety's sake, most will have to stop driving and find another way to get around.
Yvonne Whitehead places a disability placard on her driver's car before going shopping.
The AARP program is a refresher course designed especially for the elderly. The class covers normal changes in vision, hearing and reaction time, and provides techniques to compensate for such changes.
Things you need to do
• • •
| How to know when to stop driving:
• Running stop signs or red lights without noticing • Stopping at green lights for no reason • Narrowly missing pedestrians or cars without realizing it • Switching lanes or merging without looking • Going the wrong way on one-way streets • Getting lost in familiar areas • Stopping in the middle of intersections • Mixing up gas and brake pedals Source: American Geriatrics Society What to do after driving stops: • Consider alternative means of transportation, such as rides from family or friends, The HandiVan or Handicabs of the Pacific. |
