Comfort Keepers In Home Caregivers in Altamonte Springs, FL and Surrounding Areas
When seniors should no longer drive an in home caregiver can help in Altamonte Springs, FL
It’s a difficult conversation to have with a loved one when you know that they need to stop driving. Not being able to drive can make seniors afraid of losing their independence. If you’re not sure when it’s time to have a conversation with your senior loved one about driving an in home caregiver can be a great resource for documenting your senior loved one’s driving habits and their trouble driving so that you know for sure when it’s time to have that talk.
There are many impairments that seniors face over time that can make driving dangerous for both seniors and the other people on the road and on the street. Arthritis can limit the full range of motion needed to drive, while lack of physical activity may delay responses.
Hearing loss plays a large role, as one-third of seniors have hearing loss. This can affect the ability to hear horns, screeching tires, sirens, and other sounds that alert someone to potential danger.
Vision is one of the main areas that negatively impact driving. Aging often impairs peripheral vision and focus. Seniors are also more likely to get cataracts, glaucoma or other ocular diseases.
Sometimes the side effects caused by medication can also impair driving, ranging from drowsiness to blurred vision. Some medications can even zap the focus of your loved one and leave them distracted on the road.
Nobody wants to take away the car keys from their loved one, but it’s absolutely necessary to act before your loved one becomes a danger to him or herself and others on the road. Try assessing your loved one’s driving abilities one of the following ways:
- Go for multiple rides with him or her as a passenger. Be honest about his or her attitude on the road.
- Ask your loved one if he or she is afraid to drive at night.
- Watch for reaction time to traffic lights, signs and other cars.
- Keep an eye on your loved one’s overall awareness of his or her surroundings.
- Look for damage to the car that could be a result of driving incidents.
- Find out if he or she has recent tickets or hike in insurance rates.
- Speak with neighbors about what they have observed in your loved one’s driving.
How An In Home Caregiver Can Help
An in home caregiver that is experienced working with seniors can be on the lookout for signs of impairments that can make it dangerous for your loved one drive. And if your senior loved one has had to hang up their keys an in home caregiver can help them stay independent and make sure that your senior loved one can still get to the store, to church, and to other places that are important to them.
If you have a senior loved one in Altamonte Springs, FL that should not be driving the I4 or other busy roadways anymore call us today to find out how an experienced in home caregiver can help.
