(LAGUNA HILLS, July 10, 2006) — Seniors who?d like to know how they can maintain their good driving skills can visit a weekday open house that features a new dedicated senior driver resource center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, July 13, at the Florence Sylvester Memorial Senior Center, 23721 Moulton Parkway.
At the open house seniors can take guided tours and listen to speakers discussing tools and tips to help keep senior drivers on the road safer and longer.
?This will be an important and permanent part of our center that?s dedicated to senior driving,? said Shirley Witt, director of the Florence Sylvester Memorial Senior Center. ?Now that seniors live longer, driving well has become as vital as any other aspect of their health.?
The Florence Sylvester Memorial Senior Center, University of California Irvine Medical Center, Center for Trauma Injury Prevention and Research and the Automobile Club of Southern California jointly developed the new senior driving resource center with a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety. The resource center features senior driver educational tools including DVDs and videos, computerized driving assessments, Dept. of Motor Vehicle information, a self administered vision screening test, and other driving resources.
Tours, displays and hands on exhibits of the senior driver resource center will be featured throughout the open house. Presentations including ?proper vehicle fit,? ?health, aging and driving,? ?driver licensing and testing,? ?vehicle care and maintenance,? and ?senior driver education? will take place at 10:30 and 11:15 a.m., noon and 12:45 p.m. Representatives from the UCI Geriatrics Program, the Auto Club, Orange County Sheriffs Dept., The Driving Wellness Center, the Laguna Hills DMV and AARP will conduct the presentations.
?Although the ?Golden Years? can be the best times of our lives, the aging process may bring about physical and mental challenges that can affect our driving ability,? said the Auto Club?s Public Affairs Specialist Anita Lorz. ?Through this new senior driver resource center, we want to encourage and help seniors maintain safe mobility. We hope the center will be a model for other senior centers throughout Southern California and the nation,? she added.
The Florence Sylvester Memorial Senior Center telephone number is (949) 380-0155. Regular hours are: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
###