Senior Client Driver Safety

It’s no secret that perceptions can change with age, and this can affect the abilities of older adults when it comes to safe driving anytime they get behind the wheel. Professional caregivers and family caregivers alike who are responsible for the well-being of seniors who they care for are in the best position to gauge driving abilities and determine if perhaps someone else should be manning the wheel during a trip to the store.

Here are some areas that professional caregivers can assess to determine if their senior care recipients are able to safely drive:

1. The state of the car – unexplained dents or scrapes may indicate incidents when driving

2. Disposition behind the wheel – seniors may display discomfort and anxiety behind the wheel and this is not a good sign

3. Sticking to the roads less travelled – if seniors are changing their driving habits, like avoiding highways, something else might be at play

4. Unsafe behavior – failure to notice or stop at stop signs or traffic lights, or a lack of awareness to the speed limit demonstrated by driving too slow or fast are all clear issues

A professional caregiver who has evaluated a senior’s driving based on the above factors needs to approach the topic gently, and should perhaps consider speaking with a close family member who they already communicate with. In most cases, professional caregivers will not be overstepping their bounds since they are hired to provide for the safety and security of the seniors that they care for.

Via: Caregiver List

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