When it’s time to talk to your elderly family member about her driving, you need to do so with a plan. If you go into the talk trying to ad lib, you’re more likely to wind up upsetting both of you.

Prepare Yourself with Plenty of Facts

Do your homework before you open this conversation with your senior. Make sure that you know what her driving record looks like now, what sorts of incidents have concerned you, and anything else that brought you to this point. If her doctor has mentioned some concerns about her continuing to drive, you might want to mention that, as well.

Remember to Keep Her Feelings in Mind

As much as you want to have your facts in order, it’s also really important to remember your elderly family member’s feelings in all of this. Having someone you love tell you that it’s not safe for you to drive any longer can be really scary to hear. She may worry that this means that you’re upset with her or that she won’t be able to go anywhere anymore. All of these are important for you to remember.

Come to the Talk with a Plan

Along with facts and feelings, you need a plan. You can’t just sit your senior down and tell her that you’re concerned about her driving. What are you aiming for with this talk? If you want her to drive only under certain conditions, make sure that you outline those for yourself so you can describe them to her. If your plan is to hire elder care providers who can take over the driving for her, make sure you’ve got details about how that will work. Leave some room for negotiating if you’re open to that.

Set up a Time to Revisit How Well the Plan Works

Don’t just leave the conversation with an edict in place. Let your aging family member know that you’ll revisit this with her soon and see how well the plan you put in place is working. This can help your elderly family member to see and to understand that you’re trying to do the best thing for her, not simply lay down rules that she has to follow.

The more preparation you put into this talk, the easier it’s going to be for you to finally implement it. Take your time and don’t let yourself get derailed. The most important part of this talk is your elderly family member’s safety.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Elderly Care in Oakland, CA, contact the friendly staff at Home Care Professionals today.
Call (866)-940-4855

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andy@hcprosonline.com

CEO at HomeCare Professionals

Andy Howardis a Bay Area Native who holds a BA in Political Science (University of Colorado at Boulder, ’97). After college Andy worked in the surging tech industry.His Grandmother however, would suffer a significant decline in health and ultimately needed in-home care. The experience of a loved one depending on outside help to age in place proved to be pivotal for Andy as he left the tech industry in 2002 for an opportunity in the home care world with a large provider. After having success in home care, but being frustrated by corporate constraints Andy founded HomeCare Professionals in 2005.He methodically built the company one client at a time by focusing on hiring quality caregivers to ensure positive outcomes. Currently Andy serves as the CEO of HomeCare Professionals and is also highly active in the non-profit organization California Association of Health Services at Home (CAHSAH) which advocates for a higher standard of in-home care for those who wish to remain living at home in California.

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