Unfortunately, many people start losing their ability to drive as they get older. Between reaction times slowing and vision becoming weaker, it's a common problem for older people to develop. But how are you supposed to cope if your loved one suddenly loses their ability to drive themselves around? Here's what you should do.
License Test
If you've been in the car with a loved one who isn't driving as well as they used to, this problem may be obvious to you. But there's always a chance that you haven't witnessed it yourself and instead have just noticed that your loved one seems to get into accidents and mild fender-benders more often than they should. In either of these cases, you should consult with the DMV.
Senior citizens are often retested at the DMV in order to discern if they're still capable of driving safely. While the senior citizen in your life might resent this, it's up to you to ensure that they're safe out in the world and aren't posing a risk to themselves or others. Sign them up for a DMV driving test. If they can't pass, or barely do, it's time to put their driving days behind them.
Getting Help
Of course, this often leaves the children of the loved one in the unfortunate situation of becoming the driver for them. This isn't practical, though. If you hold down a job or have a family of your own to look after, it's not easy to simply drop everything to drive your loved one wherever they need to go. And as senior citizens age, they will likely need more trips than ever, in order to make it to all of their medical appointments.
This is where in-home senior care comes in. In-home senior care provides services like cleaning, cooking, and helping senior citizens with showering, medication, and dressing themselves. But they also help with small chores outside of the house, too. If your loved one needs medications picked up or a drive to a medical office, their care worker can handle this for them, either by giving them a lift or picking up medications on their own. This ensures that your loved one won't be stranded without assistance and also won't have to rely on public transportation, which can be more dangerous in old age.
You shouldn't have to feel guilty about not being able to ferry your loved one around. If they need help and you're not able to provide it, it's time to hire an in-home senior care worker.
