Five Questions You Can Ask Your Senior about Driving

By Andy Niska | March 7, 2019 |

Driving is such a complicated topic when it comes to your aging adult. Talking about what’s going on helps you to find answers for her that work, but you need to get specific information. These questions can help you do that.

Are Other Drivers Honking a Lot When You’re Driving?

Senior Care in Spokane WA: Driving Safety

If other drivers are honking a lot when your senior is behind the wheel that can mean that she’s making some questionable decisions that possibly interfere with the flow of traffic. She might also be making some dangerous decisions that leave her in danger of experiencing a wreck. Sometimes other drivers honk because they’re aggressive drivers, but that’s not always the case.

Have You Felt Lost or Uncomfortable Behind the Wheel?

Your elderly family member might feel nervous or emotionally uncomfortable when she’s driving and that can lead to her making some mistakes that she wouldn’t make otherwise. If she’s experiencing cognitive changes, she might be feeling lost occasionally in locations that have been familiar to her.

Do Other Cars Seem to Show up out of Nowhere?

Every driver has had that one vehicle or object suddenly seem to appear out of the blue, but if that’s happening often for your senior it can be a big problem. It might mean that your elderly family member isn’t paying attention as closely as she should be while she’s driving. It’s important to take a closer look at what’s going on.

Are You Avoiding Going Places if You Have to Drive Yourself?

Sometimes people who are having trouble driving don’t want to talk about it, so they simply stop going places. If you’ve noticed that your elderly family member seems to be home a lot more often these days, this may be part of what’s going on. Asking her openly can help you to find a solution that works for both of you.

Does Anything Hurt When You Drive?

Whether it’s stiff joints, poor range of motion, or muscle weakness, your senior may experience actual pain when she’s driving. Sometimes the mechanics of driving can just be physically uncomfortable for her current situation. If that’s the case, then she might not be in the best position to be able to keep driving.

Giving up driving doesn’t have to leave your senior grounded. One option for an alternative to driving is to have senior care providers take over for her. This is a fantastic way to allow her to have help in other ways, too.

If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Spokane, WA, please contact the friendly staff at Love in Home Senior Care, today. Call (509) 474-0663

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Andy Niska

Owner at Love In Home Senior Care

Andy has over 20+ years experience in the medical community and has a true compassion for seniors. With a degree in Health Care Administration, he developed a background in a variety of health care services that only comes from first hand experience. While working as a manager of a large clinic and as an account executive for medical suppliers. Andy has built valuable relationships with the medical community.

His role in Love In Home Senior Care is to educate people on what care choice is the best fit for the senior and their family while attempting to make this decision as stress-free as possible for everyone involved.

This decision making process should be smooth and stress free for everyone, including all family members and their loved ones. Having access to people with experience (like the team at Love In Home Senior Care) to assist you along the way can help this process. With an extensive background in health care, Andy has the experience needed to guide and direct your loved one to the choice that is the best fit.