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Staying Healthy for Driving Fitness

Learn how to maintain fitness for safe driving as you age. Explore changes in roads, vision, strength, medication effects, and memory that can impact driving. Discover strategies for staying mentally fit and getting enough sleep. Get expert advice on adapting to physical changes and minimizing distractions on the road.

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Staying Healthy for Driving Fitness

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  1. Staying Healthy for Driving Fitness .

  2. Why Do We Drive? • Independence • Freedom • Convenience • Connection and contribution to the community, friends, family • Respect • Pride of owning a vehicle

  3. Changes in the Roads • How are today’s cars different ?

  4. Changes in the Roads • What about the roads and driving today? • How has driving changed?

  5. Changes in Us • What changes have you noticed?

  6. Vision Strength, flexibility and reflexes Health conditions like arthritis Memory What Changes Can Affect Safe Driving for Older Adults?

  7. Changes That Affect Safe DrivingVision • Vision provides 90 percent of our sensory cues for driving • Good vision is more than how far or close we can see

  8. Vision

  9. Adaptation to Changes • Adjust mirrors properly before driving • Check rearview mirror every 10 to 20 seconds • Turn your head and look before changing lanes or merging with traffic

  10. Strength, Flexibility and Reflexes Aging may bring diminished • Muscle strength to legs, arms and handgrip—all important for vehicle control • Flexibility to look over the shoulder for checking traffic • Reaction time to respondto traffic or road hazards

  11. Physical Activity Develop your weekly routine that includes • Strengthening • Stretching • Endurance • Balance development

  12. Medications Older adults may Be more susceptible to adverse or strong reactions • Because they may take more medications (both prescribed by a doctor and available in drug stores) which increases the likelihood for interaction • Because the body may not as effectively use medications and reacts more strongly to even lower doses

  13. Medications Before getting behind the wheel • Ask your doctor or pharmacist about possible reactions and side effects • Be aware of your reaction to medications, vitamins and supplements • Adjust your driving schedule to accommodate the reaction

  14. Memory and Attention Driving a car requires: • Making decisions quickly which requires mental alertness • Switching attention quickly to many situations happening on the road • Dividing attention to perform many tasks such as steering, shifting gears checking mirrors and looking ahead • Memorizing information such as destination

  15. Staying Mentally Fit Practice • Flexible thinking • Exercising you senses • Communicating your opinion, thoughts about current events, stories • Using numbers • Developing strategies through games, civic groups or community projects

  16. Strategies for the Road • Organize each trip • Eliminate distractions • Reduce stress • Dress for Driving

  17. Sleep and Rest • Improve concentration on the road by getting enough sleep and rest • Practice habits of sleep health • Avoid naps • Develop a regular time to go to bed • Do some physical activity each day • Eat a light meal in the evening • Avoid drinking tea, coffee, or cocoa six hours before bedtime

  18. Sleep and Rest

  19. Alcohol Use • For older adults, alcohol is processed more slowly than in younger adults and stays in the body longer • Use of any amount of alcohol can intensify actions of many medications • Possible result: drowsiness, disorientation

  20. Tune-Ups for the Body

  21. .

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