What strikes me is that any great initiative, such as improving transportation for seniors, comes from one or two driven individuals with great passion. Successful social entrepreneurship comes from people with a mission, and that mission usually comes from a personal experience or need.
Read on....
ITNAmerica E-newsletter
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 | Volume 5. Summer 2009 |
In this IssueITNOrlando: We're Off to the Races! Sheldon Suroff: ITN Closes the Circle Volunteering Gives New Perspective on Aging Liberty Mutual Debuts "Driver Seat Game" The Older Driver Evaluation Process
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ITNOrlando: We're Off to the Races!By Fran Carlin-Rogers, Board Member, ITNOrlando Start Your Engines Orlando began preparations to expand senior transportation options back in the mid 90s, long before we had ever heard of the Independent Transportation Network®. A visionary leader at the Central Florida Area Agency on Aging recognized that senior transportation was a key component of each strategic plan identifying critical needs of elders. Several programs were started which set a tone of innovation around this topic. Local and statewide transportation summits focusing on the triumvirate of safe roads, safe drivers and transportation alternatives, and an informative publication, "What Do You Do When Your Car Won't Get You There," helped prepare our community to start travelling together. |
 Sheldon Suroff: ITN Closes the CircleFor Sheldon Suroff, ITNAmerica's newest affiliate ITNStCharles closes a circle that started in 1994 when his son was killed by a 92 year old wrong-way driver suffering from dementia. After Jason's tragic death at 21 years old, Sheldon and his wife Karen turned their grief into activism, establishing a nonprofit organization, Concerned Americans for Responsible Driving (CARD), and creating the Impaired Driver Law. | |
 Volunteering Gives New Perspective on AgingBy Bill Clark, Volunteer Driver, Getting on in years is not easy, especially when it comes to getting from one place to another. When no family member is available to help, driving yourself to the appointment appears to be the only option. This decision can cause mixed feelings. Eyesight is not what it used to be and reaction time is slower. Guilt about driving under these conditions may arise, but what are the other choices? Aging requires visiting doctors more often, and with blood draws, x-rays, and other transportation needs, it is not unusual to have more than one appointment in a week. | |
 Liberty Mutual Debuts "Driver Seat Game"Liberty Mutual, ITNAmerica's national insurance partner, launched its online Driver Seat Game, a video game that allows players of all ages to experience first-hand the physical and cognitive limitations that older drivers may experience while operating a motor vehicle. The goal of the game is to make players sensitive to the physical obstacles faced by their parents at various stages of aging and inspire conversations between adult children and their senior parents. | |
 The Older Driver Evaluation ProcessHealthcare practitioners play an important role in addressing driving safety with their patients. Changes that often come with age—vision and hearing loss, slower reaction times, chronic illness and medication—can affect driving ability. The problem is that patients might not know it. | |
| The Road Ahead is the e-newsletter of ITNAmerica, and is generously supported by The Atlantic Philanthropies. © 2008 ITNAmerica. ITNAmerica.org. All Rights Reserved. | |
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