Edwin Pesnel, M.D.

Edwin Pesnel, M.D., 85

Seventeen years ago, Edwin faced one of the hardest decisions an individual could be forced to make. He found he had developed macular degeneration, and as a result was forced to reconsider not only his career as a physician, but also his role as a licensed motorist. Up to that point, Edwin had no intention of retiring from either position and was quite happy with the way his life was continuing to unfold.

Edwin knew, however, that he had a responsibility to safety, within his profession and on the road. Confronting despair and the loss of a lifelong livelihood, Edwin made the choice to remove himself from the workplace and from the road. "You lose your freedom. We're all spoiled, you know? You have to get a haircut, but, you know, hop in the car, drive over and get a haircut. But now I have to fit into my wife's busy schedule, she never refuses me, but you know … I'm depending more and more on her to do things that I thought I would be able forever to do to take care of myself. And it's the tough part of the problem."

This sudden loss of independence did not represent the end of the road for Edwin, though. Realizing that many other seniors find themselves in this exact situation motivated him to form a local support group for his peers, called Visually Impaired Seniors (V.I.S.). "I went through the same thing that the people in my support group are troubled by. But I have to continue to live, I'm alive, and I wasn't going to stop living just because I couldn't drive. That doesn't satisfy everybody that I talk to, at once, it didn't satisfy me, at once. I was disappointed and I had some despair, but I'm over that and I've done a lot of things that have been a lot of fun."

Dorothy Gaut

Dorothy Gaut, 97

Dorothy began driving when she was 20 years old, acting as a chauffeur for her aunt whenever she needed to get around town. She's loved to drive ever since, and still takes her car out just to watch the sun set over country roads in the summertime. "I tell the car to take me where it will, and it does. We wander about on the best roads we can find, which means the ones that have the least traffic, and we get up in farmland … it's very nice there."

Dorothy values her independence, and sees her car as the biggest factor in holding on to that kind of freedom. She's given up long trips to Connecticut to visit her sister, but continues to drive in and around her hometown, running errands and such.

Safety is a concern for Dorothy, and that's why she understands that she may have to give up driving soon. "I realize that I won't be able to drive much longer, probably, and I've been thinking about all the alternatives." Public transportation, senior services, and family assistance are all resources that Dorothy has considered. Dorothy recognizes her responsibilities as an older driver, and is planning ahead for that day when she too will surrender her driving privileges.