Media & Policy Center: Getting Around
The United States is facing a revolution in transportation, fueled by its growing population of individuals over the age of 65. The number of older drivers is on the rise—and they are driving more miles and at older ages than prior generations. Although functional abilities are affected by advancing age and some of the common health conditions associated with it, equating older age with a loss of driving ability is a stereotype that jeopardizes the independence of all older drivers, underestimates the financial costs to communities, and doesn't address the currently inadequate public transportation and mobility alternatives for older adults, especially those living in rural areas.
As our elderly populations grows, so does the need to find mobility solutions that work. In response to the 2003 Santa Monica Farmer's Market tragedy, Monika White, CEO of the Santa Monica-based, non-profit Center for Healthy Aging enlisted us in a national effort to educate Americans about planning for the day when driving is no longer feasible.
The result is the 30-minute documentary Getting Around: Alternatives for Seniors Who No Longer Drive and its companion web site. Both are dedicated to successfully maintaining elders' mobility — and the safety of all of us — by focusing on when its time to give up the keys, helping at-risk elders transition to life after driving, and expanding everyone's travel options through improved public transportation and new models for mobility.
To do this, we must first change the discourse about older drivers from one of limitation to one of expanding options. Responsibility for monitoring elders' fitness-to-drive is a social compact in which we are all stakeholders: the elder driver, family members and friends, physicians and healthcare providers, the DMV, and the community.
Our web site offers practical tools, information, and resources for everyone with a stake in the aging and driving issue. We also feature best practice transportation alternatives and innovative pilot programs that demonstrate how to address the great mobility needs of the future, if we begin to plan for them now. As you journey through these pages, you'll find ample opportunity to share your ideas, tips, and experiences about transitioning to life after driving. It's time to start "Getting Around."
Other resources for Public Space/Public Health:
- Visit the Getting Around web site at http://www.andthoushalthonor.org/gettingaround.
- Download the Getting Around project report (pdf, 200 KB)
This DVD, hosted by Jerry Mathers, tackles the challenge of developing mobility options and helping older, at-risk drivers plan for and transition to life after driving. Focusing on the mobility needs of our nation's elders, this 30-minute program addresses the issues that older drivers and their families face in a society so wedded to the car.
Getting Around is now available at the Media and Policy Center's online store.
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Reviews of
And Thou Shalt Honor: "Each year over 26 million Americans care for an adult family member who is chronically ill or disabled. We commend PBS for their dedication to this issue and hope you will find time to watch this important broadcast." — Hillary Rodham Clinton, Olympia J. Snowe, Barbara A. Mikulski, and John Breaux, United States Senate "Hosted by actor Joe Mantegna, the program examines the plight of today's caregivers and the looming crisis facing baby boomers with elderly parents who one day will need to be cared for themselves." — The Atlanta Journal-Constitution "This two-hour production explores the issue of long-term caregiving by focusing on people who also must cope with the demands of family and jobs and find their ways through medical, financial and legal labyrinths." — The Washington Post "And Thou Shalt Honor brings sensitivity and common sense to a complex and compelling subject." — Susan Friedman, Executive Director of The Grotta Foundation |
