The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

7 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,July 4,2019 theifp.ca • Truck Accessories • Upholstery • Heavy Equipment Glass •Window Tinting 354 Guelph Street, Georgetown 905-873-1655 Wehandleall insurance work. We handle all insurance work. Furnace Air Conditioning Gaslines Boilers Water Heaters Radiant Heating 905-877-3100 proud local dealer of Canadian made products .ca We all know that aging is a fact of life, and every birthday brings another is- sue of being a senior that we might not enjoy. I have always adopted my dad's attitude on aging and birthdays. He simply stated "Cele- brating birthdays sure beats the hell out of the al- ternative!" And the older I get, I re- alize he was bang-on with that observation. I celebrated my 68th birthday a couple weeks ago. I've found myself think- ing about aging, and Dad's saying. And I've come to realize the eyes are the first to go! I find myself taking an interest in new technolo- gies that could possibly make our senior lives a bit better. If I can find technology to make my life safer or more "fun," then I'm in. I recently watched a sto- ry presented by CFTO news health reporter Pau- line Chan regarding se- niors and autonomous cars. A Toronto-based re- search project, sponsored by AGE-WELL - a national organization that focuses on new technologies to help our aging population - has been studying seniors' driving. It's a given that as se- niors age, night driving be- comes intimidating. Be it rain, fog, or other adverse conditions - it's simply less fun. The AGE-WELL-spon- sored research utilizes a sophisticated driving sim- ulator that duplicates vari- ous adverse driving sce- narios, allowing research- ers to see how senior driv- ers react to driving challenges. I think it's a fabulous idea. If it makes life safer for all drivers and pedestri- ans out on the street - then it's a good thing. There comes a point when every senior has to admit that it's time to hang up the car keys. It can be a daunting decision. Not only is it giving up the joy of driving, it's also giving up convenience and freedom. Hopefully this research will help introduce seniors to technology like operat- ing autonomous vehicles. We already have vehi- cles that will automatically brake if approaching a stopped vehicle in traffic. And the people portrayed in the ads are usually young 30-something people - so there's no age stigma there. The technology is obvi- ously already in place to avoid a rear-ender, so de- veloping a tool to help se- niors safely get home after dark can't be that far away. I love driving, but as I make my way to 70, I realize we all come to a point when technology could make our lives safer. Of course, driving isn't the only challenge we se- niors endure - but it is still about eyesight, and soci- ety. Something as simple as reading the menu in a res- taurant can be difficult for a senior. I often joke that menus must have been designed by someone under 30, they're the only ones who could read it. Many menus are de- signed with tiny, low con- trast typeface - some in yel- low earthy colours - and my senior eyes have diffi- culty reading it. And I'm not unique. I'm reading that menu with 68-year-old eyes, and those eyes can't distinguish certain colours, like those of a 30-year-old. So, if an entrepreneur is designing a menu for se- nior clientele, make sure it's black and white, not grey or light blue. Transla- tion: Readable for old eyes. Marketing firms make a science out of pairing de- mographics with the prod- uct and seniors are no ex- ception. But some entrepre- neurs might be missing the boat. Seniors are viable customers who are quite happy to spend money on dinner, they'll just do it more willingly if they can read the menu. Getting back to the AGE-WELL seniors' driv- ing study - I'm watching where this study might ul- timately take us. I even considered signing up as a research volunteer, to see how I scored behind the wheel in a rain storm, fog, or icy conditions - the whole nine yards. One problem there; I gotta drive to Toronto to take part. And that might involve driving home in the dark ... Ted Brown is a free- lance journalist for the IFP. He can be contacted at tedbit@hotmail.com. I THINK THE EYES ARE THE FIRST TO GO ... OPINION EMERGING TECHNOLOGY COULD HELP, WRITES TED BROWN TED BROWN Column The red brick home of Walter Gray, at 6 Church St., was purchased by the town and demolished to make way for a parking lot. Gray was Georgetown's 1978 Citizen of the Year, and a long-serving councillor of the town during the 1950s. EHS, Karen Hunter photos THEN AND NOW