Elderly Drives get help in Senior Housing

Date

Jun 22nd, 2010 8:30am

Author

Category

senior housing development

I found this article on elderly drivers very interesting and got me thinking about a few things. First off, I think it is terrific that there are such tests out there to help identify gaps in driving skills. I’m just wondering why it is limited to seniors. I have a teenager that could use this test.

Secondly, from a development standpoint, it lends itself to additional consideration for resident parking in senior housing; something that might otherwise get overlooked.

Lastly, it made me think about all my residents that have “hung up there keys” and traded in their Buick for a motorized scooters. More and more often we are designing communities to accommodate for the motorized scooters, by allowing for additional charging stations, a larger closet in their apartment to “park” the scooter, and more room in the community dining room to accommodate for maneuvering in and out of tables and chairs.

In Ecumen’s Emmanuel Lutheran Detroit Lakes senior housing community we even offer “scooter driving lessons” provided by our rehab staff to ensure “safe driving” in our buildings and hallways. I wish I had thought of this as a service to our residents 15 years ago when I got a call from the St. Paul Mayor’s office informing me that one of my dear residents had plowed through a glass bus shelter on the corner of Wabasha and 7th Street on her way to a City Council hearing at City Hall. God Bless Erma Cochran! Turns out no one was hurt (sans the bus shelter), but the Mayor did ask us to work on “driving skills” with Erma.