Safe Driving

For many older adults, their driver's licence is a symbol of independence, mobility and freedom. I recall my elderly father-in-law continuing to drive even when his physical weakness barely allowed him to climb in and out of the car, and when his reflexes were so poor he crashed into the front window of a gas station. That event frightened him so much that he finally realized he should no longer be behind the wheel of a car.  He was well into his 80s when he finally stopped driving, and it broke his heart. In the years prior to this, he did make alteratons to his driving habits to try to compensate for his declining abilities.  He would only go out during daylight hours, stayed on lightly travelled roads and avoided rush hour traffic.  We never really had the discussion with him about giving up his licence, nor did his doctor who was well aware of his weakening physical and cognitive condition. It's a tough conversation to have with a strong-willed, independent man, which is why so many of us put it off and hope for the best..

Age is not the sole reason for giving up a driver's licence.  Health-related factors that can affect a person of any age certainly contribute to that decision. However, it is just a fact that as we age we may experience changes like hearing loss, vision problems that may make it difficult to drive safely, slower reaction times, difficulty judging distances or disorientation when facing a complex traffic situation. Following are some questions to consider if you, or a loved one, appears to be having some difficulty when driving.

• Am I experiencing an increasing number of collisions?
• Have I been directly involved in minor collisions?
• Do I have difficulty driving through intersections, judging distances, or seeing pedestrians, road signs or other vehicles?
• Do I have difficulty concentrating while driving?
• Do I get lost or disoriented on familiar roads?
• Do I have difficulty co-ordinating hand and foot movements?
• Am I experiencing vision problems, especially at night?
• Do I get nervous behind the wheel?
• Do other motorists frequently honk at me?
• Do family members express concern about my driving ability? 

How you answer these questions can help you decide if you should change your driving habits or give up driving completely.  There are several ways in which an older driver can make some changes to their driving habits that will make them safer on the roads.

• Plan your route.
• Always wear your safety belt.
• Drive during daylight hours if possible, especially if your night vision is limited.
• Avoid driving in bad weather.
• Use familiar roads. Avoid heavily travelled roads and peak traffic periods if these conditions make you nervous.
• Stay alert. Be aware of pedestrians, bicycles and other vehicles that share the road and be ready for unexpected actions.
• Pay attention to traffic signals and other vehicles when approaching intersections.
• Leave enough distance between you and the vehicle ahead that will allow you to stop quickly if needed.
• Stay in your lane.
• Avoid medications that make you drowsy, and don't drive when you're tired, ill or under stress.
• Use alternatives to driving such as public transit, car pooling, volunteer driver programs, friends or family who drive, taxis or walking.

Ontario has a Senior Driver Licence Renewal Program for drivers 80 years of age and older, which requires them to renew their licence every two years. This program requires the individual to pay the application fee, complete a vision test, a written test on the rules of the road and signs, and take part in a group education session. A road test will be required only if an individual is deemed to pose a risk to road safety. This determination is made by a trained counsellor based on a review of the individual's driving record and performance in the group education session.  

It may also be helpful for older adults to brush up on their knowledge of safe driving practices by taking a drivers course.  In Ottawa, the Senior Citizens Council regularly offers a 55-Alive Mature Driving Course.  This is an informative classroom course to help 55+ adults gain more confidence behind the wheel, improve their awareness of traffic hazards, update their knowledge of traffic laws and new technology, identify and correct bad driving habits and voice their concersn in a friendly  relaxed environment.  For information on when the 55+ driving courses are being offered, call the Senior Citizens Council at 613-234-8044 or go to their website at www.seniorcouncil.org.

When it comes to safe driving as we age, it is important to be honest with ourselves about any health risks that my impact our driving ability, or our general decline in physical, cognitive and perceptual abilities that accompany the natural aging process.  We must also be more foreright with our loved ones when we see their driving skills decline to the point where they might be a risk to themselves or other road users.  It's a tough discussion to have, but it is certainly important.  Let's all do our part to keep everyone safe on the roads.

Discussion Question:  What role should doctors play in deciding when an older adult should give up their driver's licence?  If the doctor feels the older adult poses a serious risk to him/herself or others, should the doctor be obligated to notify the drivers licencing bureau to have the licence revoked?

widowed.ca - an online resource for widows, widowers & their loved ones

I recently had a call from a representative of widowed.ca, an online resource for those who have lost a loved one.  They wanted to know if I might be interested in having a profile page on their website, because of my work with the 50plus market, and my SRES designation.  I decided to take a look to see what they are all about, and was impressed with the type of information available on the website. There are links to the Government of Canada and to each of the provinces where people can get information about what they need to know and do when a loved one passes away.  There is a section of frequently asked questions, which covers such topics as gov't benefits and documents, home care, financial concerns, legal questions and grief/bereavement assistance.  People can also find local businesses that offer services for older adults and those who have been widowed.  This includes real estate agents, which is why I was called. 

The company that started this very useful website is located in the Mississauga area, so many of the business links are to southern Ontario companies.  They are, however, beginning to expand and are looking for businesses in the Ottawa area.  I will be profiled on the website starting in the next few days.

For those who have recently lost a loved one and need information or services, please go to www.widowed.ca.  Feel free to add a comment on this blog about what you think about this website.

TRAVEL - Signature Experiences Destinations in Canada

Following up on my recent post about travelling to exotic destination, the Canadian Tourism Commission has just released its preliminary "Signature Experiences Collection".  This list of 48 unique and exotic destinations in Canada is designed to tempt international travellers to our county, but definitely offers some interesting choices for Canadians who crave adventure right here at home. 

I'd love to hear your stories of exotic travel, in or outside of Canada.  Do you have a bucket list of places you'd like to visit?

Travel to "exotic" destinations may come with some health risks

No longer satisfied with lounging on the beach in some Florida resort, today's Gen-50plus are opting for more exotic destinations when they travel. Trips to Asia, Africa, South America are on the bucket-lists of many Boomers seeking to experience new cultures, adventures and personal challenges.  Opportunities to live, work and play anywhere in the world are the reality for today's generation of young adults, and an increasing number of their parents also want to play in and explore the global village.

Today's Boomers are already beginning to dominate the foreign travel market, and that shift promises to increase exponentially as the Gen-50plus population grows.

"This generation is more educated, has more disposable income, has more available time for leisure and travel and is more likely to have engaged in international travel earlier in life than preceding generations. Data suggest that seniors are neither deterred from travel by chronic health conditions, nor adequately prepared," says a recent report by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

A report sends out a cautionary note to Boomers planning to travel to foreign shores.  Older people travelling abroad face a number of health risks, including more danger of blood clots on long flights, negative reactions to tropical disease vaccines, greater vulnerability to infectious diseases, diminished immune systems that weaken the protection offered by vaccines and increased complications for seniors with chronic health problems.  For example, the threat of serious complications from malaria nearly doubles to 61% among those over 60 comparabled to adults generally. And the vaccine for yellow fever, which is recommended for travel in Africa, can cause rare but potentially fatal neurological side effects, with the risk almost tripling for those over 70. 

Do these increased health risks mean older adults should go back to the quiet beaches of Florida?  Not at all. They do, however, need to be more aware of the risks and better prepared when they travel.  They should, for instance, carry detailed medical information with them about their health conditions and make sure they have enough medication to last their entire trip.

This information appears in a National Post article by Tom Blackwell, July 22/11 that can be read at: 
Bucket-list pensioners packing health risks.
Read the Public Health Agency of Canada report.

It's time for Gen-50plus to press for reforms to Canada's Health Care System

Recent studies of Canada's ailing health care system are showing that too many hospital beds are being taken by older adults waiting to get into a long-term care home, or who are staying in hospitals because there are insufficient community support services to care for them if they return home. These older adults are known ingraciously as "bed blockers". They are taking beds that are needed by acute care and post-operative patients whose own access to timely health care is being postponed due to a lack of a bed. It's a vicious cycle that is not benefitting anyone, and turning our precious health care services into a nasty mess.

Pouring more money into the system really isn't the answer. In Ontario, we already spend about 48% of the government's budget on health care. A recent article in the Ottawa Citizen notes that many seniors waiting for a spot in a nursing home are languishing in expensive and scare hospital beds, and that that number is getting worse, in spite of all the extra funding that is being put into community health services designed to keep the seniors in their homes.  In Eastern Ontario, 16% of hospital beds are occupied by seniors who should be elsewhere, up from 14% in 2008.

It's time for Gen-50plus to start speaking up in favour of reforms to the health care system that will truly make health care more easily accessible to themselves, and to everyone else. Dealing with the question of how to manage the health care services of this growing demographic must be a priority. And it should not include throwing more money into the black hole that has become Ontario's health care system. The province needs to address the shortage of long-term care beds as well as making it a priority to improve community-based health care services that enable the aging population to remain in their homes for as long as possible. It's got to be far cheaper to provide services to people in their homes, than in a hospital - which is the most expensive alternative.

A recent column by Barbara Kay in the National Post talks about today's Zoomers (Boomers with Zip) and notes that "health care is uppermost in our minds. Wellness spas are hot. And Google "discount heart surgery" : you'll get two million hits. Look for Boomer selfishness to end medicare as we know it: if we can't get the care we want here, we'll buy it in India."  If we can buy it in India, why don't we start demanding the right to buy it in Ontario? Why don't we have the right to choose our own health care services and providers?  It's time for Gen-50plus to stand up and start demanding the kind of health care we want and deserve, and for the right to pay for it ourselves if we want to. 

Comments?

Hydration / Dehydration

By Nancy Roberts | Information Specialist, Library Service, Leslie Whittington-Carter, Nutrition CoP Lead 

Environment Canada confirms sizzling summer nationwide (1.) This can prove to be extremely dangerous for our seniors in all care settings. Seniors at the highest risk are those who do not drink enough or sweat frequently or severely.
Older adults tend to have a diminished thirst sensation, making them less likely to notice when they need to drink, and sometimes will consciously restrict fluids to avoid trips to the washroom which can be difficult due to mobility issues.
Dehydration can also be caused as a side effect of medications such as diuretics or laxatives or some medical problems such as diarrhea, vomiting, heat stroke, high blood sugar (hyperglycemia), infections, excessive exercise and general malnutrition (2.) Early detection and intervention by care providers can prevent hospitalizations and even death.

1. Global News June 1, 2011. Environment Canada confirms sizzling summer nationwide. Cited June 3, 2011
2. Caring For Aging Parents. Dehydration in the elderly. Cited June 3, 2011

Source:  Seniors Health Research Transfer Network Newsletter, June, 2011

Aging In Place

Source:  October 2010 Newsletter from the Senior Real Estate Council

This Senior Real Estate Council Newsletter highlights a major September, 2010 study undertaken by the Mature Market Institute examining the very important issue of “Aging in Place”. Established in 1997, the Mature Market Institute (MMI) is MetLife’s research organization and a recognized thought leader on the multi-dimensional and multi-generational issues of aging and longevity.

“Aging in Place” is staying in one’s own home even when age- or health-related changes make it difficult to care for oneself easily and safely. Though almost everyone says they want to Age in Place, individuals or families trying to assist an older relative may find it difficult. Organizing, confirming, and managing care and services can be a daunting task because the delivery system is often fragmented, and needed services may be difficult to find or not always available in an individual’s local area. While acknowledging that steps are being taken by agencies, government, and businesses to make it easier to Age in Place, the real challenge is answering “What strides do we need to create a system that is good and easy enough for Aging in Place to reach its promise?”

Aging in Place has three goals.

1)  happier, more satisfied older citizens living in homes of their choice with control, dignity, and respect — essentially independence.

2)  better, more economical use of available resources to make it is less expensive for people to stay at home with services rather than move to residential care facilities if they do not desire to do so.

3)  the creation of a coordinated, comprehensive, and collaborative relationship between businesses and service providers to support Aging in Place. This would also enhance the creation of business opportunities and jobs to provide the services older individuals need to remain in their homes.

While the study identifies several things that homeowners can do to help themselves right now.  And that entails incorporating universal design in their homes. It's something everyone can do when contemplating renovations and upgrades. "One problem is that most home were not designed and built for the needs of aging residents or care giving," says the report. 

Moreover, most families don't consider upgrades for aging in place until a crisis hits. Then they're planning and building in a panic, which doesn't always yield the best, most efficient results.

Here's one way to prioritize projects.

1.  Falls Prevention - Remove throw rugs, especially in  bathrooms
- Install grab bars and grips in the bathroom
- Install sturdy handrails on both sides at steps
- Provide good lighting and switching, especially at stairs, halls, and entries
- Secure or remove carpets at stairs
- Install soft path lighting for nighttime mobility

2. Safe & easy flow of movement into, and around, the house- Remove or reduce the number and/or height of steps
- Increase the width of steps for easy side stepping. Wider steps also allow the use of both hands on one rail
- Create clear and open paths to the bedroom and bathroom.
- Rearrange furniture, entertainment systems, and spaces to improve the ability to move easily.

3.  Substantial renovations - Install a no-step shower or bath lift mechanism
- Install a sink that allows the adult to sit
- Create more space around the toilet to allow for a caregiver to provide assistance
- Provide seated and/or multi-level food preparation areas in the kitchen
- Create sun- and rain-protected outdoor areas
- Install backup power sources (e.g. a generator) in case of power outages

Links:

www.seniorsrealestate.com

http://www.maturemarketinstitute.com/

www.metlife.com/assets/cao/mmi/publications/studies/2010/mmi-aging-place.pdf