Countering mobility losses due to functional impairments in normally aging individuals : applying Fozard's frame to everyday driving situations. A commentary on: sensory and cognitive changes with age.

The paper explains how the analysis of social structures and mobility in elderly persons dictates an examination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors which lead to reduced mobility with increasing age, as well as possible interventions that extend the mobility and quality of life for persons without creating a hazard for others. Implicit is an assumption that a major segment of the older population will reside at home and rely on private transportation. The paper presented by Fozad provides a broad framework for understanding the impact of deficits in sensory, perceptional, and cognitive functions plus a loss of strength and flexibility, which occur with normative aging, on the mobility of older drivers and pedestrians. It also guides the discussion of potential countermeasures.