AUGUSTA — The University of Maine at Augusta’s Senior College will hold a forum on drivers’ licenses and the elderly — “Miss Daisy Driving” — at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21, at the university’s Jewett Hall Auditorium.

Geriatrician Daniel Onion will address the issue of assessing senior citizens for retention of their drivers licenses. The title of his talk will be “Miss Daisy Driving; Assessing Senior Drivers’ Safe Driving Capabilities and Sustaining Their Independence.” Onion is director emeritus of the Maine-Dartmouth Family Practice Residency and chairman of the Medical Advisory Board, Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

Penny Higgins, a former nursing professor in rehabilitation nursing, will describe how some families have dealt with the often painful decision about continued driving if mental or physical impairment interferes. Katherine Freund, founder and director of the Independent Transportation Network, will also join in the discussion about finding alternative transportation in rural Maine with its increasingly aging population, and Wendy Russell of Catholic Charities’ SEARCH program will comment on its program for finding volunteer drivers. There will also be opportunities for audience participation.

There is no cost and all are welcome.

Copy the Story Link

Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.