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How do you accept change as you age?
Aging Well | Last Active: Nov 7, 2020 | Replies (277)Comment receiving replies
Scott, Volunteer Mentor @IndianaScott Living in an urban environment, I gave up driving years ago. But I certainly appreciate your full description of the problems you faced with the issue of safety with the aging. I particularly like your quote of what the doctor said to your wife as a way of dealing with those who insist, against better judgment. Could you give a little more information about the electronic driving test at Mayo? It sounds like a very handy tool for dealing with this issue!
Replies to "Scott, Volunteer Mentor @IndianaScott Living in an urban environment, I gave up driving years ago. But..."
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Hi @barbb This was some time ago, so it may have changed some, but it was at Mayo's Rochester campus. While it was requested by her primary doctor at Mayo, IIRC it was overseen by the Occupational Therapy folks. The machine was set up with a seat like a driver's seat with the usual controls (pedals, steering wheel, turn signal, dashboard, etc.). There was a large screen in front and was what these days we'd say is like an interactive video game. The machine produced various lighting conditions, traffic levels, and things happening, such as traffic lights changing, a ball coming out into the street, bikes along side, etc. It was set to read her reaction times to these real-life driving situations. I no longer recall how long it took as it was part of a multiday set of physical and mental/psychological testing, but not terribly long.
Probably not for everyone, but it was hugely valuable to our family to address this very challenging issue amongst, at the time, multiple challenging issues.
Strength, courage, and peace