Image Up Advertising & Design

6 | OHCC LIVING | SEPTEMBER 2022 | By Tom Porter, SERT President At my grandmother's 70th birthday party, she handed my dad her car keys and said, "I do not think I should be driving anymore." My dad was shocked, but he understood and thanked her for setting a good example for all in the family. Years later, my brother and I had to forcibly take the keys away from our mother. She claimed she was driving fine. I remember one time I was with her going to a doctor's appointment. She was on a six-lane road, in the fast lane, the speed limit was 50 mph, and she was doing 28 mph. The other drivers were honking their horns. Her reaction was that the other drivers needed to slow down and give her more room. OUCH! Then the other day, I observed a driver going 21 mph on Shadowridge (speed limit is 35), who drove in through our back gate. The resident drove up to Leisure Village Way, did NOT turn on the turn signal, pulled to the far right at the stop sign and then abruptly turned left without coming to a full stop. Proceeding on Leisure Village Way, this person turned on their signal to turn right and before they turned, came to a complete stop although there was no stop sign! Another all too true story is when I use our golf cart in OHCC. There are too many times that drivers have backed out of their garages right in front of the golf cart. So far, I have been lucky, and I am always on the lookout for drivers who may not see me. I was sharing this story with my kids and told them, "if I don't come to you first, please tell me when I need to turn in the keys!" I went as far as writing a memo to myself (that I gave to my kids) stating that when they told me to turn in the car keys that I would and that I would not argue or try to talk them out of my giving them up. The memo was to remind me of doing the right thing! Below are questions you need to ask yourself as responsible OHCC residents: When is it time for older drivers to give up the car keys? 1. Slow response times. 2. Inability to fully turn to check blind spots. 3. Running stop signs. 4. Motorists honking at them frequently. 5. A hesitation or reluctance to drive. 6. Cognitive dysfunction, such as getting lost or calling for help. Signs it may be time to hang up the keys: • Driving too fast or too slow for road conditions. • Frequent dings, dents, and scrapes on the vehicle. • Delayed response to unexpected situations. • Getting lost, especially in familiar locations. • Becoming easily distracted or having difficulty concentrating. Here are only a few warning signs of unsafe driving: 1. Delayed response to unexpected situations. 2. Becoming easily distracted while driving. 3. Decrease in confidence while driving. 4. Having difficulty moving into or maintaining the correct lane of traffic. 5. Hitting curbs when making right turns or backing up. I can only imagine how hard it was for my grandmother to give up her keys. The emotional pain my brother and I felt in taking the keys away from our mother. OHCC has great neighbors willing to drive you and a free shuttle service. Do the right thing and please stay safe out there! YOUR DRIVING IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY Lots of activities fill our warm summer months in our community! While our golf course, HVAC and the Lanai project consume most of the BOD's attention, your CIMC continues to review and recommend smaller projects within our property. We continue to work with the Landscape/CIMC sub-committee on perfecting our new front entry and work is planned to spruce up the surrounding Inspiration Hill landscaping. New photographs in the exercise rooms hopefully will be in place by the time of this publication. We continue to work with the Butterfly Sanctuary as it thrives during these months. Ideas and discussions are always lively and a part of our monthly meetings, such as a sail cloth cover for the patio area adjacent to the golf casa, much like the pickle ball patio. Our Clubhouse staff and maintenance crew have been great partners in reviewing and refreshing smaller areas that we all enjoy. We welcome all residents' observations and comments.

• Cover