How To Care: Driving

How to Survive: your eldercare survival guide

Driving


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How to Care: Driving

Key Word
driving

In 1996, about one-half of seniors living in private households (1.7 million) were driving a car, mini-van or light truck. Driving is not just a matter of getting from point A to point B; it is a matter of freedom, independence and mobility. However, if an individual's driving skills have decined due to age or illness, the driver's right to independence can't outweigh the risk to individual and public safety. Getting someone to agree to stop driving can be a stressful and emotional undertaking for the driver and the caregiver.

Many older drivers voluntarily change their driving habits — avoiding rush hours, night-time driving and highways — to compensate for disabilities related to aging. However people in the moderate and later stages of dementia lack insight into their actions because of their illness and may continue driving long past the time they should stop. In some circumstances, taking away the keys may be the only option, if lives and property are at risk.

As of March 1999, Ontario was the only province that mandated a driver's test (at age 80 and every two years thereafter) for seniors.
Source: Provincial licensing agencies, March 1999.)

Things You Should Know

old age per se does not reduce driving skills. Older people, however, tend to have more of the health conditions that affect driving ability.

car crashes are the second-leading cause of injury among seniors and the leading cause of injury-related deaths

Driving and people with dementia:

30-40% of people with dementia drive

30-50% have an accident within a few years of diagnosis

80% of those who have an accident continue to drive

40% of these have at least one more accident

as many as 27% of those asked to stop driving are still on the road

Source: Dr. Allen Dobbs University of Alberta

Things to Look For

Risk factors for impaired driving ability

illness and medications that cause a decline in perception, mobility and understanding

poor vision — especially night vision, failing eyesight

problems with depth perception

hearing problems

slow reflexes

memory problems

disorientation

reduced mobility, such as difficulty turning head

physical weakness and impairments

drowsiness

fatigue

poor concentration

lack of judgment

lack of awareness

Signs of impaired driving ability that may be related to ageing and illnesses

weaving, lane shifting

unsafe left turns

ignored signs and signals

stopping at green lights

inappropriate turns, including turns that are too wide and too sharp

unsafe passing

lane changing without checking

failure to yield right of way

difficulty backing up

improper entrance onto and exit from highways

confusion at highway entrances and merges

driving wrong way on highways

slow driving

slow response to changes in driving and traffic conditions

taking too long to reach the destination

not reaching destination

getting lost

unexplained dents in the car

fender benders/accidents

traffic tickets

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