OT students drive home safety for seniors through CarFit program

The occupational therapy (OT) program at the College of Rehabilitation Sciences and the Manitoba Association of Senior Communities (MASC) held a community event on April 19 for older adult drivers to help make their vehicles safer and more comfortable.  

CarFit is a free, drive-through event through which volunteer occupational therapists guide older drivers through a safety checklist. The program was developed in the U.S. through the American Occupational Therapy Association, American Automobile Association and AARP (formerly American Association of Retired Persons). It has since been implemented in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Locally, it is organized by MASC. 

OT instructor Lisa Mendez, who organized the event with Serena Bittner, transportation consultant with MASC, said this was the first time the program was integrated into an OT program class with OT students assessing members of the community. 

“Students in the past had only learned how to do these assessments on each other. By partnering with MASC, the student learning also provided a service to community,” Mendez said. 

The event was held in the parking lot of the Norwood Community Centre. Fifty-eight students took part, demonstrating simple adaptive devices, taking measurements and advising about local driving resources. 

The program is aimed at older adults, but any driver can benefit from the assessments, which include things many drivers don’t think about, such as the distance they sit from the steering wheel for the airbag to deploy properly, if needed, or how their mirrors are set up for blind spots. 

“This isn’t about assessing driving skills, it’s looking at how we can help a senior’s car best fit them for their function and safety. So, we look at how their seat belt is fitting them and how the steering wheel is fitting them so that it’s nice and safe, and so the airbags can deploy safely,” said first-year student Cassidy Copple. 

“It was really cool to talk to someone who wants to learn from OTs and student OTs, and work together to figure out how we can improve their safety and their fit in the car and make sure that they have access and know about everything.” 

Other items in the 20-minute assessment include the driver’s line of sight over the steering wheel and ability to comfortably reach the gas and brake pedals. 

Doreen Gooding, a 72-year-old Norwood resident, heard about the event through Facebook and immediately signed up for an assessment. She said she learned about many adjustments that can be made in her car that she didn’t know about before, including the height of the seat belt and headrest. 

“I learned lots, actually. I haven’t been adjusting my mirrors quite right. I didn’t know about the distance to the steering wheel,” she said. “It was wonderful finding out how to adjust my seatbelt because this is much more comfortable.”