Foundations in class blog-Emerging areas

In the field of OT there are multiple emerging areas. One that is of interest to me is community mobility are older drivers. It is a known fact that the baby boomer population is getting older and needs assistance in different ways. That is what this program aims to do. Everyone has their own definition of independence. If you ask a teenager they would say driving is their biggest form of independence. If you ask someone over 65 years, they may not say driving is their biggest form of independence, but they would be mad if it was taken away from them. They have driven for a long period of time and driving has become involuntary. It would be like taking away someones right to breath. I can sympathize with this reaction. I do not like being told that I do not have the right to do something. If you reason with me, I may be less irate about the situation. What is being done to help this area?
OT's help in community mobility and driving issues by talking with caregivers and family members on how to perform this activity. This is definitely hug is helping someone who has had a stroke to find a different way to drive. By not explaining this process, a wreck could occur causing harm to individuals. There is a program called CarFit. This program aims to educate older adults in driving and how to check to be sure that their car fits them. This is a great step in helping older adults assimilate back into driving in the community.
A way to improve upon the CarFit idea, would to be to work with local DMV's and OT's to hold a regular course to educate the older population on how to drive with any disabilities they have or assisstive tech they may be using. To make this even more effective,  a test (similar to a drivers test at 16) could be implemented. That way those who are on the road could have a smaller risk of wrecks. This may also help to decrease the number of people on the road, who are a risk. A Negative aspect of this is that it could take away someones independence, which is what community mobility and older drivers are trying to prevent.
Overall, I would love to shadow an OT and see how they make this idea a reality.