Driving is an important and useful tool when it comes to independent living. It enables individuals to go about their daily tasks, whether that’s grocery shopping, visiting family and friends or engaging in a hobby or activity. Lately, older drivers have been targeted in many conversations, one of which is a discussion about at what age they should no longer continue to be on the road.

A new article states that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is suggesting two new safety ratings that are geared toward old drivers and families. Michael Cerussi, a driver education instructor who owns Cerussi Driving School, has lent his support to the proposal of new vehicle safety ratings that focus specifically on elderly drivers. On its website, the NHTSA explains that it is working on developing a “silver” rating that would review the safety of the car for an older driver.

The NHTSA notes that the rating would be an addition to the current NCAP five-star safety ratings, which were developed in 1978. Any changes to the NCAP system could take up to three or four years to be put into place.

Recently, there has been an influx of older drivers, often referred to as “the silver tsunami.” AARP notes that 16 percent of licensed drivers in America are over the age of 65. By 2025, the organization expects that one in five U.S. drivers will be 65 or older. By 2030, 57 million elderly drivers will take the road, as opposed to only 37 million today.

According to Statistics Canada, in 2009, 3.25 million people aged 65 and over had a driver’s licence—three-quarters of all seniors. Of that number, about 200,000 were aged 85 and over. Since people in their 80s and over are, and will continue to be, a fast-growing segment of the senior population, the number of elderly drivers will also continue to increase at a rapid pace.

The proposed silver rating for older drivers is necessary, NHTSA said, because older vehicle occupants are usually less able to endure crash forces than younger drivers. The silver rating aims to help these motorists find information that can enable them to purchase a car that protects them more effectively.

“Older drivers have a different set of needs than younger people,” Cerussi said in a statement. “While a young person may want a car with a high-quality sound system or a built-in navigation system, cars for elderly individuals should focus on keeping these people safe as they take the road. This information will prove useful to older drivers and their families.”

Besides Google, Facebook is probably one of the most visited sites on the Internet. With billions of users worldwide, this social network is the go-to place for business networking, long-lost friend finding, or simply a way to stay in touch.

A recent article published by HuffPost50 reported on a research study that “suggests that learning to use Facebook may have an additional benefit for adults over 65: a sharpening of mental abilities.” Janelle Wohltmann, a graduate student from the University of Arizona department of Psychology, decided to see what would happen if she taught older adults who had never used the online social site before how to use it.

Her goal was to see if she “could give a boost to their cognitive performance and make them feel more socially connected,” the article says. After compiling an age group of 68- to 91-year-olds she divided them into study groups that were each assigned different tasks including daily posting on Facebook, privately posting on an online diary site called Penzu.com. A third group was placed on a “wait list” for Facebook training that was never completed.

Before using any of the new technologies, each participant completed a series of questionnaires and neuropsychological tests that would measure social variables: such as their level of loneliness, social support and cognitive abilities. Each assessment was performed again at the end of the study, eight weeks later.

“In the follow-ups, those who had learned to use Facebook performed about 25 per cent better than they did at the start of the study on tasks aimed at measuring various mental abilities,” reported HuffPost.

So if you haven’t started using Facebook, maybe you should give it a try. You can stay in touch with family and friends, play games and join Facebook discussion groups/pages, challenging yourself cognitively. If you are wondering where to start, and what a community or business page looks like, come and check out PointerWare’s page. We look forward to connecting with you!

It turns out that one might not be the loneliest number after all. The number of people worldwide who live alone has risen dramatically. In 1951, single dwellers made up a little more than 7% of the households in Canada. Today that number is 27.6%. The trend to living solo is found in the United States and Europe as well.

Is living alone good (or bad) for us? It depends who you ask. Eric Klinenberg, author of Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone, sees it as a natural progression given that marriage is no longer considered the definitive sign of reaching adulthood. And, he points out; living alone isn’t the same thing as social isolation. He points out that the “communications revolution” allows someone to enjoy a healthy social life without face-to-face interaction.

But, and it’s a big but, that’s only true if they have the ability to take advantage of the internet. For the elderly, frail or poor, living solo isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. As a recent article in the Globe and Mail points out, “. . . research has found that lack of social connection can pose significant health risks, especially among older populations. Loneliness has been linked to higher stress levels and blood pressure, poorer sleep and an increased chance of depression and Alzheimer’s disease.”

Getting seniors online and “social” isn’t just a nice idea, it’s an imperative.

- Posted by Karen

A new resource is out for caregivers that could help them better understand the dynamics of caregiving and aging in today’s society.

Seniors Helping Seniors, a Colorado organization that helps match caregivers with seniors in need of in-home assistance, has introduced a new blog that focuses on a variety of topics of interest to seniors and the caregiving community. It will encompass topics such as healthcare, safety, care at home, technology, senior programs, hobbies and more.

“Seniors Helping Seniors has been providing caring services for seniors and by seniors for over 20 years and we really want to help give back to the caregiving community,” said franchise owner of Seniors Helping Seniors, Linda Gabel.

“At Seniors Helping Seniors of northern Colorado, we know providing care at home can be challenging as well as rewarding. We developed our blog as a source of news and information for the caregiving community in northern Colorado.”

This forum is a great benefit to aging adults and caregivers who can refer to the site for ideas and tips for daily living for seniors. As an added bonus, it encourages older generations to browse the Internet and stay in-the-know with the latest trends and topics that have to do with aging.  Check it out!

- Posted by Megan

My 87-year-old mother-in-law received a gift this week that she hates. It’s a book that she calls Computers for Old People Who Are Dummies, better known to the rest of us as Computers for Seniors for Dummies. She and my 91-year-old father-in-law were given it by one of their children not-so-secretly hopes it might reduce the number of “support calls” she receives.

My mother-in-law doesn’t hate the book per se – it’s pretty good and no doubt she’ll find it helpful. What turns her off is the word “Seniors” in the title. It’s a love-hate thing she’s had going with the word ever since she turned 65. Seniors discounts at the movies? Good. Being thought of as a senior with all the stereotypes that come with the word? Not so good.

She’s not alone. According to a study in the Journals of Gerontology Psychological Science, older people tend to feel roughly 13 years younger than their chronological age. And, according to Jacqui Smith, a psychologist at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research and one of the authors of the study, this is probably a good thing. “Feeling positive about getting older may well be associated with remaining active and experiencing better health in old age,” said Smith.

One way to remain active is by staying connected with family and friends, something that’s a challenge for older people who are retired, sometimes less mobile and whose families are far flung. One of the biggest benefits of a program like PointerWare is that it lets people with little or no computer experience easily connect online. And it’s so easy to learn and to use that no one will ever feel like a dummy – old or otherwise.

-          Posted by Karen

When it comes to technology, grasping the concept of a new gadget or gizmo isn’t always that easy. For many aging adults it takes time to understand what a new technology does, how it operates and how these new connections open up a world of opportunity. Passing the torch of information and instruction can be difficult.

According to an article in InMenlo, a recent study released by Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life project indicates that nearly 70 per cent of adults aged 65 and older are using mobile phones, more than half are using the Internet, and a third of older Internet users are on Facebook.

Recognizing the struggle that can go hand-in-hand with receiving a new device to operate, Menlo School student Josh Lauder and a few of his friends are helping aging adults understand these technological advancements with one-on-one tutoring sessions. He hopes to help the seniors he works with become self-sufficient with technology.

Not only is this a great teaching and learning strategy, it is a wonderful way for youth and seniors to interact and bond with one another. Each generation can respectively understand the different worlds they grew up in, and grandparents and grandchildren can share their discoveries online.

- Posted by Megan

Older Adults Finally Get Online – Sort Of

First the good news: For the first time ever, over half of the adults over the age of 65 are online, according to a report released by Pew Research. (53% of American adults ages 65 and older use the internet or email.) For the majority – 70% – of those senior surfers, using the Internet is just a part of daily life. The not-so-good news is that for seniors over the age of 75, internet adoption is a measly 34%. It would appear that these “senior seniors” still need a hand when it comes to reaping the benefits of connecting online.

Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS) Come of Age

According to one of our favourite seniors technology gurus, Aging in Place Technology Watch’s Laurie Orlov, 2013 might just be the year the providers of PERS get their act together and get past their tired, “Help I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” image. According to Orlov, “In 2013, we will see the intersection of vendor interest from multiple channels, carriers and expandable platforms, not to mention some new start ups as well as startup businesses from within large enterprise companies.” She goes on to say, “These newer folks will likely want to connect the usage of the button to other services, maybe some will connect to web-based environments or link to the most popular senior appliance, the TV. “

Doctors Turn to Tech to Treat the Elderly

There are only so many hours in a day to get everything done and no one knows that better than a doctor with a full case load (except maybe the average North American woman). Given that approximately 74% of doctors (based on U.S. figures) already own or plan to own an iPad or an iPhone, we expect to see more and more of them using technology to connect with and treat their patients. An interesting example is iRobot’s RP-VITA. This little robot, controlled by an iPad app, can easily be dispatched to a patient’s bedside. Once there, with the robot’s webcam, patients can talk to the doctor and at her end, the doctor can use the iPad app to access the patient’s chart.

-          Posted by Karen

We are all striving to find a way to keep ourselves active and independent as we age but it isn’t always easy. Fortunately, more and more there are products are being designed to help aging adults stay in their homes longer. Senior Housing News reported on a few aging in place products that could help make a difference in your home or your parent’s home this holiday season.  Here are a few from their review:

1. Philips: Mobile App allows Caregivers to Coordinate Care

It’s called CarePartners Mobile, an app that has been designed to help family caregivers coordinate the support they provide their loved ones. It helps individuals focus more on the care than trying to figure out what is needed to provide that care. As an added bonus, the app – available for both iPhone and Androids – encourages both parties to use a piece of mobile technology that wouldn’t necessarily be considered in the first place.

The free app enables caregivers to:

• Communicate in a private, secure online community;
• Create, manage and view upcoming caregiving tasks using a shared to-do list;
• Assign tasks to individuals, see what tasks still need volunteers; and
• Sync tasks they are responsible for directly into their smartphone calendars.

2. Care Technology Systems: New Fall-Prevention Platform

A company that is known to help senior’s age in place has created a new device that will help caregivers respond more quickly to a fall. It’s called Active-PERS (personal emergency response system) pendant, and is designed to help seniors maintain their independence and lifestyle as they age, checking in on their safety in a way that is non-invasive and requires no interaction from the senior.

“While standard PERS requires the user to push a button to notify caregivers of a fall, we know that in 83% of the times a senior who uses PERS isn’t wearing their pendant, and can’t alert others when they’ve fallen,” said Jim Anderson, founder and president of Care Technology Systems. “So, we’ve integrated an accelerometer that actively monitors senior activity as a part of a larger alert system and can tell us whether a fall has occurred and automatically summon help.”

3. VTech: CareLine Phone System for Independent Senior Living

Finally, VTech Communications has developed a new CareLine home safety telephone system that helps keep seniors connected to their friends and family. Designed with features that include large displays, reminder capabilities, volume boost and a wearable pendant with one-button dialing that directly calls people that the user of the device speaks to the most.

“VTech’s three-piece CareLine system includes a full-featured corded phone as the base unit, a cordless handset and a wearable pendant, each designed for optimal usability by older consumers who may struggle with hearing, dexterity or vision. The system’s large displays and buttons, audio assistance and a reminder capability accommodate these challenges, while a wearable pendant puts the ability to communicate with friends and family at seniors’ fingertips.”

With so many different devices to choose from, knowing that each will help a senior age in place and maintain their independence is a great way to kick off this holiday season.

Source: Senior Housing News

- Post by Megan

It’s hard to encourage aging adults to go online. Although it is the thing to do today, many still prefer to connect with another individual face-to-face. And who blames them? Of course it’s wonderful when you can be in front of a person to converse with. Unfortunately, it isn’t always possible, nor is it always convenient. But with all the tech gadgets our society has been blessed with today, connecting is that much easier.

Take 64-year-old Gail Martin. She may be against the electronic tools of conversation, such as email, but she told The Bellingham Herald that it hasn’t stopped her from learning the Internet and what it’s all about.

“It’s an amazing information tool, like having a library and an encyclopedia in your house,” she says. “I use it to check real estate locally and in Hawaii, to search for recipes, to check out hotels and restaurants when I travel, and even to find information about a friend’s illness.”

Sure there are many tools, such as email and social media, that have become common in society today but what consistently goes unrecognized is the older generations that are either too intimidated by the systems or feel it is a waste of valuable time, neither of which is true.

By taking the time to learn how to properly use a computer and surf the Internet, aging adults are opened to a virtual world of possibility and they can access it all from their home. It brings them entertainment and games and keeps them connected with family and friends. It’s a wonderful tool that challenges someone to think outside the box, and use their brain to find exactly the source of information they’re looking for.

PointerWare can help the senior in your life achieve this virtual mobility. With our easy-to-use and easy-to-read software, they’ll be surfing the Internet in no time! You can sign up for a 30-day free trial by clicking here.

- Posted by Megan

We love hearing from PointerWare users and supporters, especially when they share the story of what a difference PointerWare has made in their lives.

We recently received a letter from Suzan Caron. Suzan’s mother lives alone in a small town. She is still running her own small business so, despite the fact that Suzan and her siblings all live elsewhere; moving to be closer to family is currently not a viable option for her mom. Suzan tells us her mom is lonely and depressed. Suzan turned to PointerWare in the hope of finding a solution to their family’s dilemma.

“. . . I am left with being the one to find a better way for us two to talk more frequently,” Suzan writes. Your program allows her in a simplistic way of keeping in touch with other family members as well as myself.”

Suzan raises an issue we hear again and again. Even though PointerWare was designed to improve the lives of seniors, their families often benefit as much, or even more, from the peace of mind they gain from being able to easily communicate with their loved one.

“Well I need to check this out and hopefully this will be the answer to my anxieties of mom living so far away,” she writes. “I believe you are onto a real solution for our parents remaining independent a little longer. Thanks guys, keep up with making your dreams come to life.”

Thanks to you Suzan and all the best to you and your mom.

-          Posted by Karen