Page 18 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, October 7, 2022 avy eniiooravvy S iorn or avvyavy vvy io iori by Jim Miller Auto Aids That Make Driving Easier and Safer Dear Savvy Senior, Do you know of any car gadgets that can help older drivers? I drive a 12-year-old car and have arthritis in my neck, back and knees which limits my mobility making it more diffi cult to get in and out of the car and look over my shoulder to backup. Almost 80 Dear Almost, To help keep older drivers safe and extend their driving years, there are a number of inexpensive products you can purchase that can easily be added to your vehicle to help with many diff erent needs. Here are some popular auto aids to consider. Entry and Exit Aids For mobility challenged seniors who have a diffi cult time entering and exiting a vehicle – especially cars that are low to the ground or high vehicles such as SUV’s or pickup truck’s – 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 has 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 To help those with neck and back range of motion problems, which makes looking over the shoulder to back-up or merge into traffi c diffi cult, 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) off ers the popular “Universal 12-Inch 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, www.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, it sends live images wirelessly to the monitor so you can see what’s behind you. Seat Belt Extenders For plus-sized people or those with mobility problems, there are seat belt extension products that can make buckling up a little easier. For example, Seat Belt Extender Pros (seatbeltextenderpros.com) off ers vehicle-specifi c “Seat Belt Extenders” ($13 to $26) that fi t into the seat belt buckle receiver to add a few inches of length, making them easier to fasten. They also sell a “Seat Belt Grabber Handle” ($8), which is a rubber extension handle that attaches to the seat belt strap to make it easier to reach. Gripping Devices If you have hand arthritis that makes gripping diffi cult or painful, consider the “SEG Direct Steering Wheel Cover” ($17) that fi ts 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 to loosen and tighten gas caps. Many of these products can be found in your local auto supply stores or online at the manufacturer’s website or at Amazon. com. Just type the product name in the search bar to fi nd them. Professional Help If you need more assistance, consider contacting a driver rehabilitation specialist who are trained to evaluate elderly drivers and provide safety and driving equipment suggestions. In addition to the types of aids mentioned in this column, there’s also a range of adaptive driving equipment that can be professionally installed on a vehicle – like swing-out swivel seats, pedal extenders, hand controls and more – to help people with various disabilities. To locate a driver rehabilitation specialist in your area, visit ADED.net or MyAOTA.aota.org/driver_search. Send your senior 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. ~ Mystic Valley Regional Charter School Sports ~ Lady Eagles Soar Past Greater Lowell, 4-2 M VRCS Girls’ Soccer welcomed Greater Lowell to Eastern Avenue on Tuesday. The Eagles secured their fifth win of the season after responding with four unanswered goals to take the 4-2 victory over the Gryphons. Reilly Hickey (Medford) and Alice Jones (Stoneham) each netted goals for the Eagles, while Hickey and Lucia Antonucci (Malden) added in assists in the victory. After being denied by Eagles’ defense, the Gryphons found their equalizing goal towards the end of the fi rst half, making the score 1-1 after MV opened the game with an early goal by Hickey, assisted by Jones. The Eagles started the second half strong when Hickey snuck Lady Eagle soccer player Lucia Antonucci two past the Gryphons’ goalie to give MVRCS an edge. Jones got in on the fun when she netted one of her own off a pass from Hickey, to give the Eagles the 4-1 tilt. Despite a mishap that led to Greater Lowell’s second goal, the Eagles went on to take the 4-2 victory over the Gryphons. Eagle Boys’ Soccer Takes Down Lowell Catholic, 1-0 T he MVRCS boys’ soccer team defeated Lowell Catholic, 1-0, on Monday afternoon at Eastern Avenue. The triumph improves MVRCS to 1-6-1 overall, and Lowell Catholic fell to 0-5-2. The fi rst half saw Lowell Catholic creating a few scoring chances, all thwarted by Eagles’ goalkeeper Cam Martins (Malden). MVRCS capitalized on the momentum from his stops later in the contest when Gui Silva (Malden) buried the eventual game-winner into the lower corner of the net right before the end of the fi rst half. Silva netted his second goal of the season off a feed by 8th grader Wesley Rosell (Melrose). However, the Crusaders didn’t go away quietly – MVRCS needed to keep the pressure at the goal line. Yasser Belatreche (Mal- LEGAL NOTICE - COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS THE TRIAL COURT PROBATE AND FAMILY COURT Middlesex Division Docket No. MI22P5030EA Estate of: JUSTINE VUOLO ALSO KNOWN AS: GIUSTINA VUOLO Date of Death: 03/21/2022 INFORMAL PROBATE PUBICATION NOTICE To all persons interested in the above captioned estate, by Petition of Petitioner Lisa Lamonica of Saugus, MA a Will has been admitted to informal probate. Lisa Lamonica of Saugus, MA has been informally appointed as the Personal Representative of the estate to serve without surety on the bond. The estate is being administered under informal procedure by the Personal Representative under the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code without supervision by the Court. Inventory and accounts are not required to be filed with the Court, but interested parties are entitled to notice regarding the administration from the Personal Representative and can petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including distribution of assets and expenses of administration. Interested parties are entitled to petition the Court to institute formal proceedings and to obtain orders terminating or restricting the powers of Personal Representatives appointed under informal procedure. A copy of the Petition and Will, if any, can be obtained from the Petitioner. October 7, 2022 Eagle Wesley Rosell takes the ball upfi eld. den) played stellar in his new center back role, clearing many chances created by Lowell Catholic, to come away with the victory in the closing minutes. In goal, Martins fi nished with his fi rst shutout of the season. Advocate Call now! 617-387-2200 advertise on the web at www.advocatenews.net Classifieds
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