Report: Seniors Generally Safe Drivers, Open to Scrutiny

It appears that seniors want tougher driving laws, including everything from bans on the use of wireless devices to ignition interlocks for DUI offenders. And the oldest drivers are also less likely than their younger “senior” counterparts to use a cell phone on the road, according to the new study. 

What may surprise some, however, is that an overwhelming majority of seniors favor greater scrutiny in the license-renewal process for themselves and their peers, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s latest report on aging Americans.

More than seven of 10 drivers age 65 and older favor policies that require drivers age 75 and older to renew their license in person and support requirements that seniors pass a medical screening to remain licensed.

The AAA Foundation’s report Older American Drivers and Traffic Safety Culture also found:

• Nearly 80 percent of drivers over age 75 favor medical screenings for drivers ages 75 and older    
• Nearly 90 percent of older drivers (65 and older) reported no crashes in the last two years 
• Similarly, 90 percent of older drivers reported no moving violations   
• 65 percent of drivers age 75 and older reported never using a cell phone while driving compared to only 48 percent of the younger “older” drivers (those age 65-69) who never use a phone when behind the wheel

“Even though public perception tends to unfairly characterize seniors as a menace on the road, these findings indicate that older Americans tend to support policies to keep themselves safer behind the wheel, making them key allies in their mission to keep driving smarter and longer,” says Peter Kissinger, President and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

If seniors need to eventually give up driving, there are options. Contact your Area Agency on Aging to learn about driving services available in your community.

To learn more about the report, visit https://www.aaafoundation.org/older-american-drivers-and-traffic-safety-culture-longroad-study

Research: Many Seniors with Memory Loss Skip Assessment

General studies have revealed that developing Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias is the top fear among older adults. In spite of that – and the fact that dementia screening is now available through Medicare – the majority of seniors  have not been to a doctor for evaluation, according to a University of Michigan study.

Researchers say their study suggests that as many as 1.8 million Americans over the age of 70 with dementia are not evaluated for cognitive symptoms by a medical provider, which in some patients, unfortunately, can lead to a failure to uncover treatable causes of thinking or memory impairment.

The study, published online in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, documents a clear lack of clinical testing for seniors with signs of cognitive problems. The study included people with mild cognitive impairment through severe dementia, from all causes.  “Early evaluation and identification of people with dementia may help them receive care earlier,” says study author Vikas Kotagal, M.D., M.S., an assistant professor in the U-M Medical School’s Department of Neurology. 

The data in the study precede the start of Medicare’s free annual wellness exams for seniors, which began in 2011 under the Affordable Care Act and are required to include a cognitive evaluation.

Please encourage your mother to see her health care professional. Tell her that would put your mind at ease and remind her that a doctor could actually help find ways to improve her memory.

To learn more about this study, visit http://home.isr.umich.edu/releases/seniors-memory-loss-dementia-study/

Balance Problems Could Be Warning Sign

A new study that finds seniors – average age 67 – who have trouble balancing on one leg for at least 20 seconds may have increased risk of small blood vessel damage in the brain – stroke – and reduced cognitive ability. The research included healthy older people with no clinical symptoms, according to the report in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke.

 

“Our study found that the ability to balance on one leg is an important test for brain health,” said Yasuharu Tabara, Ph.D., lead study author and associate professor at the Center for Genomic Medicine at Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine in Kyoto, Japan. “Individuals showing poor balance on one leg should receive increased attention, as this may indicate an increased risk for brain disease and cognitive decline.” 

The study consisted of 841 women and 546 men. To measure one-leg standing time, participants stood with their eyes open and raised one leg. The maximum time for keeping the leg raised was 60 seconds.

Participants performed this examination twice and the better of the two times was used in the study analysis. Cerebral small vessel disease was evaluated using brain magnetic resonance imaging.

Researchers found that the inability to balance on one leg for longer than 20 seconds was associated with cerebral small vessel disease and the potential for strokes. 

To reduce your risk of falls, be sure your home is not a safety trap. Go to MakingHomeSaferforSeniors.com for a home safety tour and checklist that can alert you to the potential safety hazards in your home.

 

For more about the study, visit http://blog.heart.org/ability-balance-one-leg-may-reflect-brain-health-stroke-risk/.