When to Stop driving
It is difficult to determine when an older adult should no longer drive. The American Academy of Neurology has released new guidelines to help determine when people with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia should stop driving. The most reliable measure of a dementia sufferer’s driving ability is a driving test. If someone shows one or more of the signs below, it’s time to have a serious conversation with the driver and his or her doctor:
- Stops in traffic for no reason or ignores traffic signs
- Fails to signal or signals inappropriately
- Drifts into other lanes of traffic or drives on the wrong side of the street
- Becomes lost on a familiar route
- Parks inappropriately
- Has difficulty seeing pedestrians or other vehicles
- Has difficulty making turns or changing lanes
- Gets drowsy or falls asleep while driving
- Lacks good judgment
- Has minor accidents or near misses
How to Talk to Your Loved Ones about Reducing or Stopping their Driving
Such a discussion is not going to be easy, and you are likely to be met with resistance. The keys to ensuring that your loved one takes you seriously and accepts the fact that they can no longer drive is persistence and vigilance.
When you first approach the subject with the individual, you might consider having others with you that can lend further support to your claims. It is especially helpful if they have also witnessed the same driving behavior that you have. It will also be beneficial to have a record of the facts so that you can present the individual with documentation of what you have seen. They may not want to believe it at first, but revealing recorded documentation lends more credence to your concerns.
Try to make the individual understand that it is for their own safety and the safety of others that they must stop driving. And, listen to the concerns of the individual, and pay attention to their own feelings. They will need to vent, and it will be helpful for them to feel as if their own feelings are being recognized and heard.
There are support groups available for individuals with Alzheimer’s who have surrendered their ability to drive. Sharing their feelings with others who have experienced similar situations may help to ease the transition. The individual’s physician might also want to get involved and tell the person himself that driving is no longer an option.
Check here to see more information
When you first approach the subject with the individual, you might consider having others with you that can lend further support to your claims. It is especially helpful if they have also witnessed the same driving behavior that you have. It will also be beneficial to have a record of the facts so that you can present the individual with documentation of what you have seen. They may not want to believe it at first, but revealing recorded documentation lends more credence to your concerns.
Try to make the individual understand that it is for their own safety and the safety of others that they must stop driving. And, listen to the concerns of the individual, and pay attention to their own feelings. They will need to vent, and it will be helpful for them to feel as if their own feelings are being recognized and heard.
There are support groups available for individuals with Alzheimer’s who have surrendered their ability to drive. Sharing their feelings with others who have experienced similar situations may help to ease the transition. The individual’s physician might also want to get involved and tell the person himself that driving is no longer an option.
Check here to see more information