UIndy OT volunteers help seniors get CarFit

Faculty and graduate students from UIndy’s School of Occupational Therapy volunteered their time recently to show older drivers how to stay safer on the road.

The group performed CarFit checks at the annual Fall Health Festival hosted by Senior Promise, a Franciscan St. Francis Health program that offers services to people 50 and older.

CarFit is a national education program that helps older adults assess how well their personal vehicles fit their aging bodies. The basic checklist looks at 12 key areas, including the positioning of the seat, steering wheel and mirrors.

UIndy Assistant Professor Jennifer Radloff is one of only three people in Indiana certified to coordinate CarFit events, and she is the only certified instructor, authorized to train other coordinators. She introduced CarFit at the university's health festival last year, with the help of 2008 UIndy grad Tori Simons, now an occupational therapist with St. Francis.

The connection between occupational therapists and older adults is a natural one. Students enrolled in the UIndy Master's of Occupational Therapy program can also achieve the Certificate in Gerontology as part of their studies. Earning both their master's of OT and a certificate in gerontology helps students become better prepared to work with seniors and makes them more marketable on the job front.

For more information on the graduate certificate in gerontology, visit the CAC website or contact Stephanie Fritz.