New Program Being Offered in St. Louis, MO to Help Concerned Families of Senior Drivers

ST. LOUIS - Nov. 7, 2016 - PRLog -- Earlier this week, a Michigan newspaper headline read "Elderly driver killed when he turns pickup in front of teen's car".  The 82-year-old Sturgis man was transported to Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo where he later died from his injuries.

Also this week, a Los Angeles area newspaper reported "85-year-old woman identified as driver in crash that killed pedestrian".  It seems the driver swerved off the roadway in an attempt to avoid traffic stopped ahead of her.  In doing so, she struck a 48-year-old pedestrian, who was walking on the sidewalk.  The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sadly, these types of preventable tragedies and near tragedies continue to occur every day across America.

In an effort to help eliminate these occurrences, Keeping Us Safe has unveiled a new program titled the "Family Empowerment Session".  This in-person session is ideal for the family that believes they can handle the topic of a driving retirement with their loved one on their own, but would appreciate some direction, guidance, support and encouragement on how best to handle the discussions with their parent.

The 1-hour session takes place in the comfort and privacy of the concerned family's home and is conducted by any one of Keeping Us Safe's Certified "Beyond Driving with Dignity" Professionals.  The BDD Professional will listen to the family's concerns and will work to answer questions about their loved-one's driving abilities.

The family will then be presented with a copy of "Beyond Driving with Dignity; The workbook for the families of older drivers.  They will be provided with a guided tour of the workbook with special emphasis being placed on the family's specific concerns.

At the conclusion of the session, the family will be provided with the "Family Empowerment Session" Resource Guide.  The guide contains such items as:

•Keeping Us Safe's Family Driving Agreement (as recognized by the NewYork  Times)

•The Dimensional Performance Recap 

•The "Invitation to Help" form 

•A Driving Exercise Score Card

•A list of local transportation options and additional resources

For families that are not comfortable handling the issue themselves, Keeping Us Safe continues to offer its nationally recognized "Enhanced Self-Assessment Program" for older drivers.  This is a 3-hour, one-on-one session conducted with the older driver his or herself, and includes an on-road driving exercise. The program was built on the premise that everyone (including older drivers!) wants to participate in decisions that affect them, and that very few of us will willingly accept the specific terms or even the spirit of decisions that have been dictated to them by someone else.

Vicki Spraul, owner of Gray Matters Alliance, LLC, a Certified "Beyond Driving with Dignity" Professional serving St. Louis, Missouri, explains "Our new 'Family Empowerment Session' is designed to provide concerned families with the education and material they need so that they can have the driving conversation with their loved-one's themselves, without outside intervention.  Our goal is to provide the family with the tools necessary to ensure a smooth and seamless transition for their loved one as they slide from the driver's seat to the passenger seat."

Matt Gurwell, founder of Keeping Us Safe, explains "Our programs provide concerned families with the missing link between their desire to bring this issue to a peaceful resolution, and their ability to actually do so."

To schedule a "Family Empowerment Session" for your family, or an "Enhanced Self-Assessment Program" for your loved one, contact Vicki Spraul at Gray Matters Alliance, LLC at 314-266-2678 or email her at vicki@graymattersalliance.com. For more information, please visit www.graymattersalliance.com

Keeping Us Safe's programs are available nationwide.  To learn more about their programs, call 877-9078841 or visit the Keeping Us Safe website at http://www.keepingussafe.org.