Osher Lifelong Learning Institute hosts training workshop promoting older driver safety

DriveWell program funded by National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration

HONOLULU — The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, a unit of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, will host a free training workshop exploring older driver safety and mobility issues on Thursday, June 9, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Krauss Hall 112 on the Mānoa campus.

The workshop will be presented by Donna Shewey of Gerontological Consultants Northwest. Shewey is one of 17 national experts in the American Society on Aging (ASA) DriveWell Program funded by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration.

The free workshop will explore a variety of issues including how to identify at-risk older adults and discuss driving safety issues with elders; options for driver assessment; safety tips for older drivers; knowing when it‘s time to turn over the keys; alternatives for non-drivers to maintain independence; information about the DriveWell Program; and how to lead DriveWell workshops for other community groups.

"Americans ages 70-plus are among the safest drivers on the road," said Shewey. "But despite that, they suffer more serious injuries and fatalities when involved in a crash. And a significant percentage of elders also reach a point when they no longer are able to drive. As the population ages, issues of older adult driver safety and mobility are posing challenges to elders, their families, and communities."

The DriveWell workshop is part of a new national effort to begin community conversations related to these concerns. Participants who attend the free training workshop will become DriveWell leaders in their own communities.

The Honolulu training workshop is targeted to individuals working with transportation and planning departments; area agencies on aging; senior center and independent living sites; law enforcement officials; physical and occupational therapists; civic and church groups; and other citizens who are interested in becoming DriveWell workshop leaders.

To register online, go to www.asaging.org/drivewell/calendar.cfm or for general information about the program, visit www.asaging.org/drivewell.

For more information, visit: http://www.asaging.org/drivewell