Promising Practices

Overview
"Getting in Gear" is part of the local Florida Senior Safety Resource Center (FSSRC), one of four such sites in the state. The FSSRC is a program that exists solely as a resource for seniors, caregivers, families, and communities. Confidential driver skills assessment is conducted through personal interviews and the use of technologies and activities designed to measure cognitive and physical reaction times and capabilities. Counseling is provided on appropriate driving choices, and information on mobility programs and services is available for older adults who decide to reduce or stop driving.

The FSSRCs have developed a tiered assessment system with a local referral network including memory disorder clinics, medical professionals, occupational therapists, and certified driving rehabilitation specialists. A website has been developed to serve as a virtual FSSRC to assist the public in finding alternative transportation statewide, and is available at http://www.fssrc.phhp.ufl.edu.

Budget/Funding
This program was developed in 1995 under a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The amount of money for older driver programs has varied since that time, with funds coming from NHTSA, ASA, AED, and the Florida DOT. These funds have either come directly from the source or through agencies such as the University of South Florida and the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Outcomes
As a result of the "Getting in Gear" program, the 2003 Florida Legislature established the Florida At-Risk Driver Council, a committee appointed by the Governor to advise the state Division of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles on at-risk older drivers. The Council made the following recommendations in its most recent report:

• Continued research into assessment methods and transportation alternatives
• Development and implementation of widespread public information and education materials and programs
• Focused training for law enforcement, social service, and health care providers
• Expansion of services for assessment, remediation, and transportation alternatives
• Funding initiatives to support development of community-based programs
• Establishment and extension of community-based services
• Creation of an action plan for Florida on the issue

A copy of the complete report is available in PDF through http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/ddl/atriskdriver.pdf.

Role of Agency/Key Partners
The Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas provides driving-related assessments, offers mobility counseling, and provides resources such as aging/reference materials and caregiver handbooks.

Physicians, memory disorder clinics, and courts regularly refer clients to the "Getting in Gear" program, and agency staff continually fosters such relationships.