If your elderly family member is determined to keep driving, even in spite of your objections, you and she might be arguing a lot more than you want to be. That doesn’t mean that driving is any safer for her.

Check the Driving Laws in Your State

Driving laws are different from state to state. In your particular state, your senior may need to go through specific testing in order to be able to continue to drive. She may also need to meet specific requirements in terms of not having driving penalties or accruing points against her license in order to maintain her license. The Department of Motor Vehicles might be able to give you step-by-step information about what you need to do in order to help your senior to phase out of being a driver.

Have a Conversation with Her Doctor

Talking to your elderly family member’s doctor is always the best idea when you’re trying to help her to make or accept some changes. Her health is one of the biggest factors that contributes to your elderly family member’s ability to continue to drive safely. Some of the medications that she takes can have an impact on her ability to keep driving, too. Her doctor can help you to sort through all of those variables.

Consider Talking to Specialists

Your elderly family member may work with a variety of specialists, too. These specialists can also help you to figure out whether driving is still something that she can do safely or not. Your elderly family member may work with physical therapists, audiologists, or even eye doctors who help her to manage specific conditions that can affect her ability to drive.

Make the Car Less Accessible

Ultimately, you and your senior still might not see eye to eye about her and driving. That might mean taking more drastic steps that involve ensuring that the car itself isn’t as accessible as it used to be. You might disable the car in some way, like by removing or turning off a crucial element, or you might simply put the keys for the car somewhere that she can’t get to them. The answer you go with may depend on your senior and how determined she is to keep driving.

It’s tough to be a caregiver, especially when you’re making decisions that aren’t necessarily popular ones. What really matters is that you’re keeping your senior as safe as you possibly can.

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Senior Care in Morgan Hill, 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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