“An eighty-six year old man killed ten people and injured more than seventy when he drove his Buick into a crowded farmers market in California. In Florida, an eighty-four year old woman drove her car through a window of a Sears and into a cash register and employee” (Murphy). Sadly enough, instances like these are becoming more and more prevalent and require immediate action. It is imperative that a more comprehensive approach be taken when deciding the competence of elderly drivers. Laws must be put into action to mandate and administer testing and re-examining of the skills and eligibility of this group. Equally important, we must consider those who will no longer be able to drive, and ensure their transportation and occupational needs will be fulfilled. With today’s growing number of American senior citizens, we must consider the importance of an effective resolution to support senior mobility while reducing crashes. To reduce danger present on the roads, after the age of seventy, drivers should be required to undergo thorough vision, hearing, and most importantly a road test, to be eligible for a renewed license. According to a study by Carnegie Mellon University, “fatality rates for drivers begin to climb after the age of sixty-five.” Though this does not apply to every driver over a certain age, it is a widespread problem. While age alone does not determine a person’s ability to operate a motor vehicle, some traits that come along with the aging process can affect a person’s capability. Wendy Stav, an assistant professor of occupational therapy at Townson University, said, “Older people are more apt to have health issues that directly affect their driving.” “With age, nervous system activities are slowed” (Shulman, Silv... ... middle of paper ... ...ty Program | North Dakota. 14 Sept. 2009. Web. 20 May 2011. . Murphy, Kathleen. "Elderly Drivers Pose Policy-making Challenge." Stateline State Policy & Politics, Updated. The PEW Center for the States, 29 Apr. 2004. Web. 20 May 2011. . "Older Americans- A Diverse and Growing Population." Growing Old In America. Encyclopedia.com, 2008. Web. 20 May 2011. . Saxon, Sue V., and Mary Jean Etten. Physical Change & Aging A Guide for Helping Professionals. Fourth ed. New York: Tiresias, 2002. Print. Shulman, Neil, Michael A. Silverman, and Adam G. Golden. The Real Truth about Aging: A Survival Guide for Older Adults and Caregivers. Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 2009. Print.
Statistics show 16- to 17-year-old driver death rates increase with each additional passenger, which is due to distracted driving. Taking your eyes off the road for 2 (two) seconds, at 60 mph, means you have driven blindly for half the length of a football field. The risk of fatality is 3.6 times higher, when they are driving with passengers than when alone. For many years, the correlation between driving behavior and age has interested highway safety researchers and administrators. It is general knowledge that the greatest risk of motor vehicle crash...
In the news article ¨Is 16 Too Young To Drive A Car?¨ Robert Davis explains the science of of legal issues surrounding teen driving. To begin with, Davis points out many support raising the driver age in order to decrease the number of further car crashes involving 16 year olds. The Author Robert Davis also reports that politicians want to avoid inconvenient parents who would have to drive around their unlicenced teens. Also he describes teen drivers error are linked to undeveloped parts of the brain that thinks about the future, controls emotions, and manages designs. In addition the Author Robert Davis “graduated licensing” limit took teens driving priveleges until
Loss of motor skills is common among people when they get older, which increases dramatically after age 65. Motor skills are functions that involve the precise movement of muscles in order to perform a certain task. In a psychology study where 24 young adults were tested against 24 senior citizens, the evidence suggested that in addition to general slowing, the elderly have troubles with motor skills because they execute movement sequences as a series of individual movements and not as a combined pattern. When people execute individual movements, it makes it harder to multi-task which is a necessity while driving on the road. Having to control brakes, gas, steering, lane changes, turning, head checks, and many other assortment of tasks while driving, takes a toll on elderly people with diminishing motor skills. Another major contributing factor to deterioration of motor skills is change in cognitive function. One basic cognitive function that is severely...
The thought of aging is not void of hesitance given it produces questions deprived of answers in the absence of a crystal ball. Subsequently, aging parallels the unknown; thus, faced with uncertainty adopting a positive perspective remains elusive. Although, it’s preferred to view aging optimistically one cannot escape its negative connotations. Will I be an active agent or isolated burden remains a noteworthy unknown that enervates my optimism. Another consideration leading to my vacillating view on aging is, not knowing to what degree personal competencies and capacities will carry forward, thereby affording autonomy in the elder years. However, as research suggest, the aging process transforms healthy adults into frail ones; thus, dashing one’s hope that such traits will endure (Friis, 2010). Incidentally, at age 48, these lingering questions will soon be answered. In the interim, there is an inherent responsibility to prepare physically, psychologically, and financially for entry into the aging population. Ideally, the goal is to
Aging is the process by which the human body undergoes changes and maturation over time, mainly because dead cells are not replaced in sufficient amounts to maintain optimum performance. In addition, changes in behavior are expected, (Gall, Beins, and Feldman, 2001). Due to the distinctive physical and psychological changes, this period of life can be one of much confusion for the elderly. Fortunately, technological advances in medicine and lifestyles have made life expectancy increase significantly since the fifties to the present, (Hiller & Barrow, 2011). For this project I used a phenomenology method. Phenomenology is the study of life events as they appear in the consciousness of a person or group of people; moreover is the study of experiences as they come to pass in our lives, (Desjarlais & Throop, 2011). This paper aims to analyze, visualize and illustrate various aspects of aging from the point of view of older adults.
After spending an afternoon interviewing my elderly father-in-law, I gained insight into how he perceives the aging process and the impact on the quality of his life. First, and foremost he viewed aging in a very positive and healthy manner. He believes that a positive attitude assists in accepting physical and psychosocial changes and enjoyed the fact that he and his wife are both physically fit and cognitively alert. He felt confident that advances made in health care and the quality of their lives would continue to be empowering. He enjoys the benefits of being a senior citizen including discounted travel, free education, and other incentives marketed towards seniors. He expressed a sense of well-being with respect to the numerous housing options geared towards the graying population, such as Retirement Villages, and assisted living. However, the subjects of Long Term Care, Social security reform and government involvement in health care reform were subjects he regarded with very strong negative emotions. During the interview these issues as related to his experiences with health care were discussed with zeal and frustration.
...al capabilities of properly operating a vehicle. Due to advancements in health and nutrition, the amount of elderly people is currently on the rise. There are more and more elderly drivers clinging to the independence that their cars give them meanwhile they are losing the ability to control these vehicles which causes more accidents. CITE THIS today)
Motor vehicles accidents are the leading cause of deaths for teenagers in the United States. According to Vivian Hamilton, “Car crashes kill more teens each year than any other cause” (1). In 2010, seven teenagers from ages 16 to 19 died every day from motor vehicle crashes. In 2011, approximately 1972 young drivers, ages 15 to 20, were killed in motor vehicle crashes (Facts About Teen Drivers”). The age of which a person can drive legally varies from country to county. In the United State, individuals are allow to take a driving test before their legal voting age which is eighteen or legal ...
According to the U.S. census bureau older adults are an important and rapidly growing segment of the United States’ population. There are about 40 million older adults aged 65 and older residing in Unites States and it is projected to be more than double by 2050(Population Reference Bureau, 2015). This projection is due to advancement in health care facilities and better education (Population Reference Bureau, 2015). As people age they face various physical, psychological and social roles changes which affects their quality of life.
Although studies by Dr.Masten and his colleagues show, “75 percent of the fatal crashes we thought we were saving actually just occurred two years later,” (paragraph 4). This was stated when the minimum driving age was sixteen and this effected the number if fatal crashes in eighteen-year olds. Dr. Masten suspects that teenagers are waiting to get their license and skipping the restrictions, (paragraph 7).
Aging and old age for a long time presented as dominated by negative traits and states such as sickness, depression and isolation. The aging process is not simply senescence most people over the age of 65 are not Senile, bedridden, isolated, or suicidal (Aldwin & Levenson, 1994). This change in perspective led the investigation of the other side of the coin. Ageing is seen as health, maturity and personal Royal growth, self-acceptance, happiness, generatively, coping and acceptance of age-related constraints (Birren & Fisher, 1995). Psychological und...
Of the theories listed in our text regarding the health of psychosocial aging, the theory most in line with my idea of successful aging is “Life Course/ Lifespan Development” a theory developed by Back. Back’s theory suggests that as we age the roles throughout our lives are altered in one-way or another and our relationships also change. As one ages, their role changes could be from a mother who has raised children majority of her life to having an empty nest and only caring for her significant other, to being a grandmother. Responsibilities are not necessarily removed, just slightly different. Transitioning from psychosocial to biological again there are several theories trying to conceptualize how and why it is our bodies age I am led to side with Hayflick and Moorehead’s Programmed theory suggesti...
Older adults are a very knowledgeable population and have had a lot of life experiences. As people age, things start to change physically, mentally, and socially. It’s important to understand the process of aging, so that older adults can be taken care of properly. I interviewed P.R. who is a 71-year-old male that lives alone in his home. P.R. is a retired coal miner, and is currently living off his social security and savings. He lives close to both his daughter and son, who frequently help him out with things that are needed. P.R. was able to give me a lot of insight about specific challenges that he has experienced in his life that is associated with aging. I will be discussing challenges that P.R experienced physically, mentally,
Again, it makes the headlines; an older driver causes a dangerous automobile crash. As the amount of elderly driving has increased in the past decade, the risk for others to be out on the road has increased. In 2012, there were 36 million licensed older drivers in the United States. (Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation (US)) As a 34% increase from 1999, it has been noted that seniors are driving past their ability by an average of 10 years. (Federal Highway Administration, Department of Transportation (US)). Elderly continue to drive despite the prominent physiological changes that worsen as they age. The amount of automobile collisions suggests that prevention must occur in order to make the roads safer. By examining older drivers’ medical complications, older drivers must be retested to be able to drive a vehicle.
“Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional deaths for teens (16-17),” reported The New York State Department of Health. The most exciting thing about being sixteen in the United States is driving. Teenagers can not wait to be sixteen to drive, however, they do not understand the dangers that come with driving at such a young age. Sixteen is the age between child life and adulthood. It is a time when they are not stable and undergoing change, which makes them unsuitable to drive. Many teenagers would say that they need to get to places. In response to that claim, there are public transportation systems and bikes as available alternatives for young drivers. The financial stability and matureness of eighteen year olds proves