Our Ask An Angel correspondent is Arlene Petersen, Life Care Navigation Specialist in the area of senior home care.
Q. My family doesnât want me to drive anymore. I am not ready for this and donât want to give up my driving, because it really makes me think I will lose my freedom. I canât imagine not being able to drive and having to rely on others for transportation. What do I do?
A. There are many things that affect our driving. Sometimes a stiff neck just makes it impossible to back out of a parking spot. When people ask me about driving, the first thing I talk about is safety. While it is difficult to imagine depending on others to drive you places, it would be more difficult to live with the ramifications of an accident that affected someone in a devastating way. I suggest assessing your driving skills. This can be done in a variety of ways, and there are some great tools online to help with that. For example, AAA has a program called âDrivers 65 Plus: Check Your Performance,â a booklet that you can access on their website, AAA.com. There is an assessment tool in the booklet that can help you. Some basic questions to ask yourself are:
How is my vision?
How is my hearing?
How is my physical ability and reaction time?
Are the medications I am taking affecting my driving?
Do I drive slower than other drivers?
Am I nervous at intersections?
How many traffic tickets have I gotten lately?
You might also consider changing your driving habits. Drive only during the day, not at night. Drive during off-peak hours. We live in a congested area, and there is a considerable amount of traffic in peak times, not to mention the need to be aware of construction, which seems to be everywhere. Stick to short trips, and drive on familiar roads. Changing your driving habits may ease your transition in to truly giving up the car keys. Another idea is to take a driver brush-up course. This is also talked about on AAAâs website. You might also consider seeking the evaluation of an occupational therapist. An occupational therapist can help you analyze your driving skills. The therapist can assess your skills and recommend ways to improve how you drive as well as tell you that it might be wise to stop driving completely.
If you are going to take the next step to stop driving, it is a good idea to get a transportation plan in place. My suggestions involve seeking help from family and friends, but if this is not an option, then social services in the area is a good place to start. The local Area Agency on Aging is an agency for older adults in Illinois. Their local office is in West Chicago and can be reached at 630-293-5990. Their website is www.AgeGuide.org
Some people I speak with work with a personal caregiver to help with transportation. They schedule appointments and errands and work with their caregiver to make sure they get to those appointments. For some folks, it is also a nice way to have companionship along the way. Some things to keep in mind when thinking about relinquishing the car keys is the fact that you might be able to eliminate the need for owning a car, thus reducing insurance, upkeep, and gasoline costs. Something to think about!
If you would like an occupational therapy tip sheet, give me a call at 847-429-0100.
Have a question for our angel correspondent? You can send our angel an email to apetersen@visitingangels.com or send your question via mail to Ask An Angel, 65 Woodbury St., South Elgin, IL 60177.
