Active aging
February 2014 • Vol. 35-No. 3 316-942-5385
January 2004 • Vol. 25-No.2
Informing 112,000 55+ readers Southcentral Kansas Serving 80,000 Readers in in South Central Kansas
Happy Valentine’s Day! Questions About Services? Call your county Department on Aging for assistance. www.cpaaa.org
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Sedgwick County toll-free 1-855-200-2372 Harvey County 284-6880 or toll free 1-800-750-7993 Butler County 775-0500 or toll free 1-800-279-3655 Active Aging: 316-942-5385
Seniors and driving:
When to take away the keys? By David Dinell
Wilbur Geeding approaches his trusty 1995 Honda station wagon, slides in, puts his seat belt on, turns the key and drives off — just like thousands of other southcentral Kansas residents. Geeding, 91, has been driving since his teen years in the 1930s. He’s confident of his road skills and has a clean driving record. “I enjoy driving,” said the retired attorney, although he admits discourteous drivers irk him. “There are people who don’t know that they’re supposed to signal when they turn.” However, others continue to drive when friends and family members say they shouldn’t. AARP statistics show that women, on average, outlive their driving abilities by 10 years and men by six years. When someone should stop driving can be a big source of contention. State law has no age limit. When is the right time to give up driving? This question is often a hotbutton conversation. Aging is influenced by health and genetic factors so there isn’t a set age to determine when someone must stop. It depends on the individual, said Dr. Mary Carman, vice president of Older
Wilbur Geeding, 91, still drives, although he avoids night driving.
Adult Services at Prairie View in Newton. “There are some people in their 90s who are good drivers, and others in their 70s who shouldn’t be driving.” One requirement for drivers older than 65 is, if they pass the driver’s test, they get a four-year license instead of a six-
year license. They also must pass an eye exam, but they aren’t measured for other abilities...or disabilities. Prairie View offers a service called the Driving Capacity Evaluation. They administer a test that helps to determine
See Driving, page 3
Century II: Save it, raze it?
By Elma Broadfoot
ACTIVE AGING PUBLISHING, INC 125 S West St., Suite 105 Wichita, Ks 67213
Photo by David Dinell
Do you remember the hue and cry in the mid-1960s when Wichita’s first civic auditorium, The Forum, was torn down to make room for Century II? Chances are yesterday’s and today’s naysayers are repeating themselves: There’s nothing wrong with what we have, why would we want to tear down this facility, why can’t we just be happy with what we have, after all we’ve had it for nearly a half century? Apparently yesterday’s naysayers didn’t mind sitting through a performance of Carmen with the pungent air from the previous night’s cattle show. Today’s naysayers would balk at rock concert sounds spilling over into a symphony performance in the Concert Hall. Before we rush to judgment on the future of Century II or get the naysayers too fired up, we need to step back, take a deep breath and look at where things are.
Last year, Go Wichita Convention and Visitors Bureau hired consultants to conduct a national convention market study to determine the convention potential for Wichita. That potential could mean acquiring a sliver of the convention pie to the tune of a $30 million annual economic impact to Wichita. “We are at a fork in the road,” says Susie Santo, Go Wichita President and CEO. “We are the largest city in the state of Kansas, and we are at a competitive disadvantage,” Santo adds, noting that the current convention facility does not meet industry standards such as square footage, ceiling heights, electrical access, contiguous traffic flow and open space. Go Wichita leaders do not expect to draw conventions that are currently going to Las Vegas, but the national market study has given them enough data to see there is growth potential for Wichita. Those participating in the study
were asked specifically about coming to Wichita. But wait, what about the performing arts, where do they fit into this picture? That brings us to Phase II of the process in which Go Wichita, the city’s arts council and performing organizations such as Music Theatre of Wichita and the Wichita Symphony are funding the study to determine the future, the potential of performing arts in Wichita. “Century II has served the performing arts community and its audiences very well,” notes Wayne Bryan, Music Theatre producing artistic director. “We have patched together several pieces on a little plot of land,” Bryan adds. Those pieces include the Hyatt Regency Tower built in 1996, the Bob Brown box added in 1987 and the iconic blue-domed, round Century II. Bryan recognizes that there is “an See Century II, page 5