SUNY Downstate CarFit Event to Help Seniors Enhance Driving Safety, April 10
Apr 5, 2011
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University will hold a CarFit Event for seniors Sunday, April 10, 2011. CarFit is an educational program that offers older adults the opportunity to check how well their personal vehicles “fit” them. It also provides information on community-specific resources that could enhance their safety as drivers and increase their mobility.
Older drivers can improve their safety by ensuring their cars are properly adjusted for them. This includes making sure they are positioned the proper distance from the airbag, have eliminated potential blind spots using adapted mirror positions, and can fully reach and depress the brake pedal. The CarFit program says, “A proper fit in one’s car can greatly increase not only the driver’s safety but also the safety of others.”
The CarFit event will take place between 11 am and 3 pm at the SUNY Downstate parking lot at 324 Winthrop Street, between Nostrand and New York Avenues, Brooklyn, New York 11225. Trained professionals and faculty and student volunteers from the Occupational Therapy Department at Downstate’s School of Health Professions will work with each participant to ensure they fit their vehicle properly for maximum comfort and safety. A CarFit check takes approximately 20 minutes.
An appointment must be made in advance. For more information call 718-826-5046 or email deena.berkowitz@downstate.edu.
CarFit is an educational program created by the American Society on the Aging and developed in collaboration with AAA, AARP, and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA).
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.