When is the right time to stop driving? There is no one size fits all age limit that everyone can follow to hang up their skills. After all, everyone has different abilities and preferences in life.
However, if you find that you or your loved one is starting to see deterioration in their driving skills or have been having issues coping with their daily activities, it might be time to re-evaluate if continuing to drive alone is safe. To help you gauge whether this is the right time to start to worry, we have compiled some common guidelines that can help you to better estimate if driving is still a safe activity.
Usage of Prescription Drugs
Many older adults have to cope with health conditions. This means also needing to take different combinations of drugs. Some medications can lead to a compromised ability to drive as they cause confusion, tremors, blurred vision, or just drowsiness. Even if they do not cause these side effects alone, they may have similar effects when used in combination with other drugs. If your loved one is reliant on certain medications, it might be time to reassess the side effects, interactions between the different drugs, and if any alternatives may be a better option.
Health Conditions
Sometimes it might not be the medication, but the health condition itself that makes driving a safety hazard. For example, conditions like dementia and Parkinson’s disease can compromise a person’s cognitive abilities and their ability to judge quickly. The best way to help assess this is to talk to you or your loved one’s physician to find out if it is best to continue driving.
Impaired Vision and Hearing
If you are unable to see or hear clearly, it is a worrying sign as they might not be able to perceive changes on the road in time. Whether it is hearing sirens, horns or having a clear view of signs and their blind spots, to have compromised senses is a worrying sign that a person might not be able to drive safely.
Enjoy Complimentary Connections Transportation Services at Mariposa
Here are Mariposa, we understand not everyone continues driving because they like to drive per se, but rather that they desire the freedom of movement and independence that it affords them. This is why here at our senior living community, we offer our residents complimentary transportation services as part of our exclusive senior living programs.
What this means is that on top of the regularly scheduled trips that are planned to area attractions, our residents are also able to simply drop by the concierge desk to request for chauffeured transportation to their medical appointments, family gatherings, or anywhere else that they want to go. Our professional team of chauffeurs will ensure that you get to your event on time without having to worry about issues like parking or maintaining your car.
For more information on the different services and amenities that we offer our residents, contact us today by filling in this online form or by calling us at 561.332.4899.