No caregiver wants to put their foot down and demand that their senior stops driving unless the situation has gotten really bad. But how can you tell the situation might be getting to that point?

She’s Not Able to Keep Track of Everything While Behind the Wheel

There’s a lot of multitasking involved in driving. A good driver is checking mirrors, paying attention to other vehicles, watching gauges, and keeping the car under control. As your senior ages, she may find it more difficult to keep track of all of those different activities at the same time. That’s, unfortunately, a big problem and can cause her to do things like drive far slower than the traffic around her.

She Drives Well During the Day, but Badly at Night

Your elderly family member may find that she’s able to drive during the day with no issues at all. But in conditions with low light or at night, she might find it far more difficult to see what’s happening around her. Driving in twilight conditions or rainy weather may actually be the worst scenario for her because the lighting conditions in those situations tend to be difficult to distinguish properly.

Her Daytime Vision Is Changing for the Worse

On the other hand, she may have trouble during the day, too, if her vision is impaired. Cataracts, bad peripheral vision, and the wrong eyeglass prescription can all contribute to issues with driving during the day. The sad truth is, though, that if your elderly family member can’t see well enough to drive, it’s dangerous for her to be doing so at all.

She’s Been in an Accident

One accident may not be the big sign you’re expecting, especially if that accident was the fault of another driver. But if your elderly family member is finding that she’s involved in multiple accidents, large or small, that’s a very bad sign. These accidents may not be ones that involve the police or her insurance company, though. Hitting a barrier in a parking lot can cause a great deal of damage and is just as indicative of a problem as an accident with another car would be.

Any of these situations might be ones that cause you and you’re senior to look deeper at whether she should be driving or not. It might help to talk to her doctor, and it’s always a good idea to put a backup plan in place. Hiring elder care providers to do the driving allows your senior to keep going wherever she wants but in a far safer manner.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home  Health Care in Piedmont, CA, call the caring staff at Aviva In-Home Care.
Call today: (415) 795-2203

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Evan Loevner

CEO at Aviva In-Home Care

As a former hospital administrator, I launched Aviva with the goal of having a more focused, direct impact on the delivery of care than I could ever accomplish within a hospital setting. For me, the joy of running an organization like Aviva In-Home Care is having the ability to positively improve the lives of individuals needing customized care. As a passionate Bay Area resident, I know that many local seniors can benefit from new approaches to in-home care, that will bring them more connection to the community, and provide families with a greater sense of comfort that their loved one is indeed matched with an ideal caregiver.

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