Janet Honeycutt, Director of Program, Virginia Department for the Aging reports on updates on the Driving Project...

Among them - the new website unveiled at http://www.granddriver.net/

(Read more about this project in our earlier interview.)

VDA in partnership with Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center (WWRC), with funding from the Administration on Aging and Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, have created a driver assessment/evaluation program for senior drivers.  The Program was given the cover of a nationally distributed publication and it has won three regional and international awards.  Details follow:

 WWRC Project

Objective:  To supply affordable driver assessment and rehabilitation programs targeted to older drivers and those drivers in the very early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.  The focus will be to educate drivers and their families and to encourage and allow drivers to continue to safely operate a motor vehicle for as long as practical. 

Services Provided:  To date, a total of 25 clients received evaluations through the Occupational Therapy Department using grant funds.  As part of this service, the evaluating therapists traveled to the majority of these client’s homes in order to more realistically resemble individual driving needs specific to their own community.  Following evaluation and/or training, the clients and their families received education regarding recommendations, especially in relation to driving restrictions and/or other transportation alternatives in the event that driving was not recommended.

Community Awareness/Education Activities:  The GrandDriver Program was highlighted on two local news stations (Channel 29 out of Charlottesville and Channel 3 out of Harrisonburg) following interviews with the Center Director, Occupational Therapy Director, a Certified Driving Rehabilitation Specialist and a participating client.  This provided education to the public regarding available services and how these services can be obtained through this facility.

The therapy departments at the University of Virginia requested that an educational inservice be provided by WWRC in order to update area service providers on programs offered.  Education and information on the GrandDriver program was included as part of this inservice.  A Certified Driving Rehabilitation Specialist also spoke at the Department of Education’s annual conference in Virginia Beach at which time information was shared on the GrandDriver Program.  An updated brochure including all therapy services offered at this facility was completed and distributed to area physicians.  As a result, awareness of the GrandDriver Program continues to increase.

A Certified Driving Rehabilitation Specialist has actively participated on the Mature Virginian Task Force Committee.  This has allowed the opportunity for networking with other service providers as well as the provision of education to committee members on the GrandDriver efforts being made at WWRC.

A brochure advertising the GrandDriver Program has recently been finalized.  This is presently in the process of being printed.  When they are received, they will be distributed to local referral sources, retirement communities, insurance companies and organizations specializing in geriatric issues.  This should increase awareness of the valuable services offered to older Virginians.

Acquisition of New Equipment:  A variety of updated evaluation materials, particularly in the area of vision and visual perception, have been obtained and utilized in order to enhance the clinical portion of the driving evaluation.  Resource materials and reference books on geriatric issues have also been acquired in order to expand the department’s existing library. 

Gerald Showalter, Psy.D., Neuropsychologist at Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center has utilized the GrandDriver funds in order to expand his evaluation materials that are specific to the geriatric population.  Dr. Showalter has provided further education materials to the Occupational Therapy Department regarding appropriate referrals for his services in relation to information obtained during the driving evaluation.  The Geriatric Depression Scale has been incorporated into the driving evaluation in order to increase awareness of other issues pertinent to this population.

Continuing Education:  Two therapists attended a two-day educational conference in Arlington, VA entitled, ”Occupational Therapy and the Older Driver.”  Arrangements have been made to provide four-hour departmental inservice on vision and related issues by Dr. Kathy Clark, Behavioral Optometrist from Charlottesville.

Summary:  Funds obtained through the GrandDriver grant have continued to enhance driving services for the geriatric population at WWRC.  Without this assistance, many older Virginians could not financially afford this needed service.  Grant monies have sponsored continued education through inservicing as well as acquisition of new and updated resources.  Community awareness of this needed service continues to expand which will ultimately optimize safety throughout the state.

Disabled Dealer Magazine

The Disabled Dealer Magazine is published nationwide in several regional issues.  The GrandDriver Program received the cover story of the May 2005 issue. 

We are very proud and pleased about the national coverage that our program here in Virginia received.

  Public Awareness and Consumer Education (PACE) Award from the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA).

We submitted the GrandDriver Program in five different categories (overall marketing campaign, video, radio, internally produced brochure and internally produced website) to AAMVA (American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators) for their PACE Award (Public Awareness & Consumer Education).  We won three (overall marketing campaign, internally produced brochure and internally produced website) of the five at the regional level.  Virginia is in Region II, which includes Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

We recently found out that all three of our submissions also won the international  PACE award.  These awards will be highlighted at AAMVA’s International Meeting in Fort Worth, Texas in August.  Needless to say, we are thrilled at the recognition our GrandDriver program is receiving.

And, we are not stopping there.  We have applied for additional funding for the upcoming year, so hang onto your hat……”we ain't finished yet”!!!