Devices that make driving easier, safer

Dear Savvy Senior,

Do you know of any car gadgets that can help older drivers? I drive a 12year-old car and have arthritis in my neck, back and knees that limits my mobility, making it more difficult to get in and out of the car and look over my shoulder to back-up.

Dear Almost,

—Almost 80

There are a number of inexpensive products you can purchase that can easily be added to your vehicle to help with many different needs. Here are some popular auto aids to consider:

Entry and exit aids

For mobility challenged persons who have a difficult time entering and exiting a vehicle — especially cars that are low to the ground or high vehicles such as SUVs or pickup trucks — there are a variety of support handles and special seat cushions that can help.

Some examples include the Stander (stander.com) “HandyBar” ($40), which is a portable support grab bar that inserts into the U-shaped striker plate on the doorframe, and the “CarCaddie” ($20), a nylon support handle that buckles around the top of the door window frame.

Stander also makes an “Auto Swivel Seat Cushion” ($40) that rotates 360 degrees to help drivers and passengers pivot their body into and out of their vehicle.

Rear vision improvements

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See our 2023 season at www.superiortours.com/2023-tours bility problems, there are seat belt extension products that can make buckling up a little easier. For example, Seat Belt Extender Pros (seatbeltextenderpros.com) offers vehicle-specific “Seat Belt Extenders” ($13 to $26) that fit into the seat belt buckle receiver to add a few inches of length, making them easier to fasten.

Savvy Senior

By Jim Miller

To help those with neck and back rangeof-motion problems, which makes looking over the shoulder to back-up or merge into traffic difficult, there are special mirrors you can add as well as back-up cameras.

To widen rear visibility and eliminate blind spots, Verivue Mirrors (verivuemirrors.com) offers the popular “Universal 12Inch Panoramic Rearview Mirror” ($13) that clips on to existing rearview mirrors, along with a variety of “Blind Spot Mirrors” ($5 for two), which are small convex mirrors that stick to the corner of the sideview mirrors.

Another helpful device is the “Auto-vox CS-2 Wireless Backup Camera Kit” ($120, auto-vox.com). This comes with a night vision camera that attaches to the rear license plate, and a small monitor that mounts to the dash or windshield. When the vehicle is in reverse you can see what’s behind you.

Seat belt extenders

For plus-sized people or those with mo-

Glide path

From page 11 quality of your days — it also can diminish the quantity. Social isolation and loneliness significantly increase someone’s odds of premature death, and are associated with about a 50% increased risk of dementia as well as higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Many people underestimate the social connections that work provides, Davis said. They also may not anticipate how much their social circles can shrink over time as people move away or die.

Davis recommends making friends of different generations to counteract that

They also sell a “Seat Belt Grabber Handle” ($8) that attaches to the seat belt strap to make it easier to reach.

Gripping devices

If you have hand arthritis that makes gripping difficult or painful, consider the “SEG Direct Steering Wheel Cover” ($17) that fits over the steering wheel to make it larger, softer and easier to grip.

And for help twisting open tight gas caps, the “Gas Cap & Oil Cap Opener by Gascapoff” ($17) is a long-handled tool that works like a wrench.

Many of these products can be found in your local auto supply stores, or online at the manufacturer’s website or at Amazon.com.

If you need more assistance, consider contacting a driver rehabilitation specialist who is trained to evaluate older drivers and provide safety and driving equipment suggestions.

To locate a driver rehabilitation specialist in your area, visit ADED.net or MyAOTA.aota.org/driver_search.

Send questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.

trend. Hobbies and volunteering are among the ways to find prospective friendships, she said.

But it can also help to find friends or mentors among people who have retired, Shaw said. Senior centers, gyms, social connection sites like Meetup and the AARP Foundation’s Connect2Affect service are other ways to find potential social contacts.

“Having others around you who have experienced retirement and who can provide support and tips and share ideas is extremely valuable,” Shaw said.

Liz Weston is a columnist at NerdWallet. She is a certified financial planner and author of five money books, including Your Credit Score.

—AP/NerdWallet