45. Drive safely in old age with Hariata Hema

45. Drive safely in old age with Hariata Hema

From Learning How To Be Old by Rachel McAlpine

March 24, 2026 · 28 min · Season 5 · Episode 45

About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of safe driving in old age and features an interview with Hariata Hema from Age Concern New Zealand.

Hey, I went carless years ago, otherwise I might be thinking these thoughts: I've been driving safely for 50 years and never had a crash, so how dare you say I'm a danger to shipping? Why do I have to have a cognitive test? Animals beginning with A? Ridiculous. How am I going to get to choir if I can't drive? Why won’t my son let me drive my mokopuna to soccer? And, um, what are those things called buses? These may sound familiar if you are starting to wonder whether you should be driving any more. Part of learning how to be old is learning to drive safely as long as possible, and how to recognise when you need advice or help. Fact is, everything changes over a lifetime of driving: roads, rules, cars, and our bodies, brains, needs and circumstances. Therefore we can't just carry on driving the same way forever without a review. So I talked to Hariata Hema. Her role in Age Concern New Zealand is to run the Staying Safe Refresher Driving Course all around New Zealand, along with a small team. This is a one-day course to update your driving knowledge and also tackle those painful personal questions. What has Hariata Hema taught me about driving safely even when you're old? Be honest…

People in this episode

Host: Rachel McAlpine

Guest: Hariata Hema

Topics covered

  • driving safety
  • aging
  • cognitive tests
  • personal reflection
  • road rules
  • driving courses

Keywords

  • driving safely
  • cognitive test
  • Aotearoa
  • Age Concern
  • Staying Safe Refresher Driving Course
  • older drivers
  • road safety

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Age Concern New Zealand

Places: Aotearoa New Zealand

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