Over the years, driving can become a hot topic for seniors. Many adult children have had to have tough conversations with their older parents (or grandparents) about whether it’s still safe for them to drive. This is never an easy conversation, but it’s often a very necessary one.
Age is not the only factor that influences someone’s ability to drive, though. In fact, there are people that can drive safely well into their late 80s and beyond.
Instead of just looking at age, there are three big factors that should be looked at instead. These include: physical ability, cognitive ability, and medications.
Physical ability makes a lot of sense when it comes to driving. While someone with a physical disability is certainly capable of driving safely, it all depends on the nature and severity of the disability or medical condition that is in question. Sometimes, this can be temporary in nature, like after a medical procedure or injury. Sometimes, it is more permanent in nature.
Someone’s cognitive abilities follow a very similar course. Someone needs to be able to quickly recognize and respond to situations. A cognitive issue that slows down reaction speed can be very dangerous in a vehicle. Unfortunately, someone that is struggling with cognitive functioning issues, such as what we see when it comes to dementia, often does not recognize that they are struggling. There’s a lot of denial and inability to see their own reality for what it is when it comes to dementia. This is one of the hardest situations to approach simply because your older loved one might not even know that there is an issue. But this doesn’t mean that it is safe for them to be out on the road. Typically, cognitive functioning is more of a permanent issue.
It’s also important to keep in mind that certain medications can have a profound impact on someone’s ability to safely operate a vehicle. This makes a lot of sense–after all, we see those labels on our own meds every once in a while. “Don’t drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how this medication impacts you.” For seniors, there are a number of common medications that can have this impact upon them. Antihistamines in particular can impact older adults more than they might have been impacted when they were younger. Depending on the medication and how it is prescribed, this can be temporary or permanent in its nature.
With all of these situations, it is very important to talk to a doctor about safety on the road.
Regardless of what your family’s situation might be, approaching a tough conversation like driving with love and compassion is important. For some, this is not a big ask at all. For others, it’s an almost impossible task. Each family and each situation is very different.
Having a team to support you and your family during this time is incredibly important. Our team of professional caregivers is always happy to help. If you’d like to learn more about Paradise In-Home Care and how we can help your family thrive during this phase of life, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
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