Unless there is an immediate safety issue, compromise may be the best way to curb the behind-the-wheel time for seniors whose driving skills are waning. Here are several signs that an older drive should curtail driving.
An article published Friday in The Chicago Tribune, takes an in-depth look at how adult children and other caregivers can identify seniors’ diminishing driving skills. Among those are:
- Vision problems
- Recent tickets or warning citations
- Evidence of minor mishaps – dings and dents on the car
- Trouble parking
- Slow reaction time or problems with hand-foot coordination
Strategies for addressing seniors’ driving challenges range from hiring an occupational therapist to conduct a comprehensive abilities assessment to having constructive conversations with the senior that may result in a driving reduction in installments. Here are some compromise suggestions, according to the Tribune:
- Start with no night driving
- Agree to limit driving to certain familiar routes and times
- Research transportation alternatives, like public transportation
Read the Chicago Tribune article, “Aging and Driving.”
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