When It’s Time for You to Stop Driving?

There is possibly no greater rite of passage that when a man or woman gets their driver’s license. This is not just about being able to drive. It is more about having a level of freedom that virtually no other thing that a person can do in their life can grant. Being able to drive allows you to go where you want to go when you want to go, and makes it so that the limitations on your freedom seems small.

While this is an important part of any person’s life, it can be challenging when you lose that ability to drive. There comes a time in virtually every person’s life where they may not be able to drive any longer. They have reached an age where it is just not safe for them to have a driver’s license anymore, reducing their freedom and making life seem challenging.

When It Is Time to Start Talking about the Issue

For children of aging parents, it can be complicated to determine whether your parents can drive any longer. It’s hard for a child to tell their mom or dad what their parents should or should be doing, but this may be a discussion that you need to have with them, especially if there are some clear indicators that your mom or dad is not able to safely operate a motor vehicle any longer.

You need to be able to clearly identify things that bring into question whether your mother or father can continue to drive safely. This starts with simple things as if your parent has suffered some injury or illness or is degenerating to the point where they are just unable to drive a vehicle any longer safely. If your mom or dad has had a stroke, is suffering from Parkinson’s disease, has an early form of Alzheimer’s, or is having difficulty in seeing or hearing that it may be time to pull them off the road.

If your mom or dad is on any medication that can limit their reaction time, this should also be a concern for you. It is not that they are unable to drive in a situation like this, but simply that they may not be able to react quickly enough. This should be true of any situation where their motor skills have become limited regarding how they react.

If you are finding that your parent is having unusual responses to normal driving activities, this is timed get them off the road. For example, if they are stopping at green lights instead of red lights, seemed confused about traffic signals, or our sideswiping cars along the road, these are usually clear indicators. This is also true if they are finding themselves easily lost.

What You Can Do

It is hard to tell your mother or father that they no longer are going to be able to drive. You want to ensure that they are safe, but this is such an important part of any adult’s life. The ability to drive is just something that is hard to tell a person that they can no longer do.

So, what can you do? The reality is that just because your mother or father is not able to drive doesn’t mean that they should be limited in their ability to get around. At Bestland Senior Community Living, we not only provide an exceptional community that can help to make your parents latter years a whole lot more golden, but we also offer a service to assist those in the community to be able to get around.

We understand that your parents don’t want to be cooped up in their home or your home all the time and that they want to get out and enjoy the fruits of their hard years working. This is why we have services that can transport them not only to the place that they need to get to but also to great events and activities they will surely enjoy. They are even welcome to take part in the activities that we offer within our community, so they can have the opportunity to make new friends.

Losing one’s ability to be able to drive is never an easy thing, but we can help you to make this time in your parent’s life a whole lot easier and enjoyable. Bestland Senior Living Community wants to make sure that your parents feel like they are not denied the opportunities to enjoy their golden years, and this is why you can count on us to help them to get around!