Never Too Old For Education
By 2030, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates one in five Americans will be 65 or older. The baby boomers driving this trend are well-known for their determination to sail off into the setting sun, figuratively, and in this case, literally, but there are some hurdles — physical and mental — to be overcome.
People 60 or older typically need more than twice as much light to see under dim conditions as a 20-year-old. Past age 50, high-frequency sounds can drop, and more time is needed to react to stimuli.
"Senior Boaters of America" has developed a detailed PowerPoint presentation that used a problem/solution format covering everything from lack of hearing, loss of dim-light vision, general organization and memory loss, and how the loss of body strength and balance are due mostly to inactivity, not aging. Most attendees had a low level of awareness around these issues, which can be chalked up to human denial.
"Your lifestyle slows down but it's such a slow progression, you don't notice it," he said. "And I think that's a shock to most people."
Gillespie and Veit found inspiration and distilled information for the class from a recent publication, The Book for Senior Boaters, by James Thomas Eastman, a former Coast Guardsman who grew up boating on the Great Lakes and now spends his winters in Florida. He uses his extensive experience and interviews with senior boaters to identify the issues of aging and boating, and presents recommendations for staying safe on the water.
Veit lays out two choices for those entering their golden age of boating. They can ignore the conditions of aging and hope for the best, or they can be proactive. "We can adjust our boating habits, implement common-sense changes, and look at the way we boat through a wake-up call mentality, which will reduce the high-risk safety issues for you, those aboard your boat, and the boating public.