aging
Studies Could Help Keep Elderly Drivers On The Road Longer
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As the number of elderly drivers steadily increases, the decision about when it’s time to stop driving often falls to their children, who must make the gut-wrenching choice to take away the car keys, and often, their parents’ independence. But two Connecticut doctors are studying various aspects of elderly driving and their findings could eventually make the decision-making process easier or perhaps even keep elderly drivers on the road longer. At Yale New Haven Hospital, geriatrics researcher Dr. Richard Marottoli is studying driving longevity in women compared to men. He’s working to identify gender differences, determine whether women are more likely to stop driving sooner than men, and whether there is any relationship between brain volume, adverse driving experiences and medical history as it relates to the ability to drive safely. At UConn Health Center on Aging in Farmington, Dr. Kevin Manning, a neuropsychologist and assistant professor of psychiatry, is conducting a separate study using a Patterson Grant, defining what aging factors affect driving ability, identifying correctable difficulties that could help extend the driving lifetime and measuring how loss of a driver’s license is associated with the risk of depression and mortality.