I
dread the day when I have to give up the car keys. (Although I won’t miss the
maintenance costs and the insurance payments!) But before I am forced to or worse,
before I injure someone, I hope I’ll have the courage to know when the risk is
too great and it’s time to let someone else do the driving.
But
how does anyone know when it is time?
AARP has
suggested these following questions to help decide when to retire from driving or
at least have your driving accessed.
Do you
find other drivers honking their horns at you – and they’re not waving to say
hi! Do you stop at green lights or brake inappropriately; have trouble making
turns, especially left turns; feel confused when exiting a highway or by
traffic signs? Do you find yourself easily distracted or have difficulty
concentrating? Do you get lost on familiar routes or have trouble remembering
where you are going. Or do you often ask
yourself, “Why doesn’t any want to ride with me?!” (Okay, that last question I
added. It replaced the question “Do you often forget where you left your car?”
which if we answered honestly, half of us wouldn’t be driving.)
Maybe
you feel your driving is okay: you’ve modify your driving - no longer driving
after dark and staying off the freeways, but you know someone who has
stubbornly held on to their car keys way too long. If so, Oregon has an At-Risk
Driver Program. You can file a report about an unsafe driver using a Driver
Evaluation Request, which you can find at the Center, the DMV office, or can be
downloaded at the DMV web site.
But we
aren’t talking just about older drivers. Oregon’s at-risk driver criteria are
based solely on whether a driver, at any age, has any physical, cognitive or
medical limitations that affect their ability to drive a vehicle. A report
needs to be specific based upon observed unsafe driving behaviors or medical
conditions that may impair a person’s ability to drive safely and not solely
because of a person’s age.
You
can learn much more about Oregon’s At-Risk Driver Program at the Center’s 11:00
Tuesday Lecture on May 10th, when Kristopher Kyes, Medical Programs Coordinator
for the Oregon Department of Transportation, will be speaking.
The
Dalles Annual Community Clean-up co-sponsored by the City of The Dalles and The
Dalles Disposal is on Saturday, May 7th. Residents of The Dalles can
dispose of yard debris and unwanted items from 9:00 – 3:00 AM at the old county
sheds at the corner of 10th and Walnut using the west entrance on Walnut
Street near the 9th Street intersection. Household garbage, tires
and hazardous waste will not be accepted at the collection site.
And if you’re a senior who doesn’t have a way to take your
unwanted items to the community collection site, you can call Cindy Keever at
The Dalles Public Works 541-506-2004 and she will arrange to have someone come
and pick up the items.
The Center will be the location for the Relay for Life’s Parking
Lot and Bake Sale on Saturday, May 7th from 8:00 – 3:00 PM. There
will be goodies of all kinds including clothes, toys, books, and more!
Every
Tuesday night at the Center there is live music for your dancing and listening
enjoyment, and on May 10th, Martin and Friends will be playing. Doors open at
6:00, music starts at 7:00, everyone is welcome and donations are always appreciated.
The young American musician/songwriter and 50’s rebel
rocker who recorded "Sittin’ in the Balcony", and "Somethin’
Else" before he died in 1960 at the age of 21 was Eddie Cochran. (And the
winners of a quilt raffle ticket each are Jim Heitkemper (who still has the
record of “Sittin’ in the Balcony”) and Don Hanson.)
For
this week’s “Remember When” question, we step back to the bright lights of Broadway
when this musical opened forty–eight years ago this week. What was the name of
the controversial musical that portrayed the hippie counterculture in New York
City and defined the “rock musical”? Email your answer to
mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or mail your answer
with a vinyl soundtrack of the original Broadway cast album.
Well,
it’s been another week looking for my scraps of paper with all my to-dos on
them. Until we meet again, open up the windows and “Let the Sunshine In”.
“You
are never too old to set another goal or dream another dream.” CS Lewis
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