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THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, OCTObEr 7, 2022 Page 19 S eninior enior eniorenior o 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 different 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) offers 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) offers vehicle-specifi c “Seat Belt Extenders” ($13 to $26) that fit 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. Roundtable Convening for Minority-Owned Businesses Coming to Gateway Cities to Elevate State Funding Opportunities BOSTON – October 4, 2022 – Commonwealth Corporation (CommCorp), in partnership with state and community-based organizations, is hosting a nine-part roundtable event series geared towards fostering meaningful access and upward mobility for minority-owned businesses in Massachusetts. This series, called “#LeadTheChange with Equity,” is being held in Gateway Cities and surrounding areas across the state. Each session is catered to a different audience based on target population demographics. Established under the Executive Offi ce of Labor and Workforce Development, Commonwealth Corporation is a quasi-public agency that fosters workforce equity in Massachusetts by delivering innovative and collaborative professional development solutions that help diverse communities and employers succeed. “The goal of these events is to highlight the importance of minority-owned businesses to our overall economy, because representation matters,” said Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Rosalin Acosta. “When we share information and engage each other in conversations about equity and how to overcome challenges as a community, we all benefi t. Through these roundtables, we hope to provide access to tools that will lead to business growth, increase diversity in workforce development, and encourage employers to apply for state funding through grants.” “The minority-owned business sector plays a critical role in reducing the unemployment rate nationally,” said Christine Abrams, President & CEO of Commonwealth Corporation. “However, language and cultural barriers, technology gaps, and the lack of existing credit lines make it challenging for minority entrepreneurs to get the help and funds they need to keep their doors open and staff on payroll–and the situation is only getting worse. Job creation, innovation, economic parity, and productivity in the country will suff er with the loss of Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs). As a result, CommCorp and our local partners are dedicated to aggressively addressing the constraints in place to ensure the short-term survival and long-term success of MBEs.” These events convene business and community leaders to engage with a panel of experts sharing information related to business growth, workforce development, and access to state funding. After the panel, participants engage in a presentation of existing resources and a roundtable discussion on the barriers in place for minority communities and how both event participants and partners can help structurally and systemically remove them. Josiane Martinez, CEO & Founder at Archipelago Strategies Group, is a speaker at two of the events geared toward Latinx Small Business Owners in Lawrence and Springfi eld. Martinez said, “Commonwealth Corporation is doing fantastic work to help minority-owned businesses across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts succeed and thrive by connecting them to available and benefi - cial resources. The roundtable events are a critical piece of the work because they bring business and community leaders together from a wide range of sectors so they can have conversations about doing work that can actually make a diff erence in the minority communities that most need our help. I am proud and honored to be a part of these events.” Partners for this event series include Supplier Diversity OfROUNDTABLE | SEE PAGE 22 - LEGAL NOTICE - COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS THE TRIAL COURT PROBATE AND FAMILY COURT Essex Probate and Family Court 36 Federal Street Salem, MA 01970 (978) 744-1020 Docket No. ES22P2781EA Estate of: MARY C. MIHALJAN Also known as: MARY MILHAJAN Date of Death: 02/28/2022 CITATION ON PETITION FOR FORMAL ADJUDICATION To all interested persons: A Petition for Formal Probate of Will with Appointment of Personal Representative has been filed by: Stephen Dragotakes of Medfield, MA requesting that the Court enter a formal Decree and Order and for such other relief as requested in the Petition. The Petitioner requests that: Stephen Dragotakes of Medfield, MA be appointed as Personal Representative(s) of said estate to serve Without Surety on the bond in unsupervised administration. IMPORTANT NOTICE You have the right to obtain a copy of the Petition from the Petitioner or at the Court. You have a right to object to this proceeding. To do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance and objection at this Court before: 10:00 a.m. on the return day of 11/14/2022. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance and objection if you object to this proceeding. If you fail to file a timely written appearance and objection followed by an affidavit of objections within thirty (30) days of the return date, action may be taken without further notice to you. UNSUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION UNDER THE MASSACHUSETTS UNIFORM PROBATE CODE (MUPC) A Personal Representative appointed under the MUPC in an unsupervised administration is not required to file an inventory or annual accounts with the Court. Persons interested in the estate are entitled to notice regarding the administration directly from the Personal Representative and may petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including the distribution of assets and expenses of administration. WITNESS, Hon. Frances M. Giordano, First Justice of this Court. Date: October 03, 2022 PAMELA A. CASEY O’BRIEN REGISTER OF PROBATE October 07, 2022

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