Senior Care in Minnetonka MN
You might be surprised to find that your elderly loved one may be willing to discuss limitations on her driving abilities. This is an excellent alternative to completely denying her the ability to drive on her own, if that’s something that you’ve been considering.
Consider Limiting Driving at Night
Some elderly loved ones don’t see as well at night or simply don’t feel comfortable driving at night. This is a good limit to start out with because your elderly loved one will likely follow this one readily. Help your loved one to plan her trips so that she doesn’t get caught out and about too late and feeling uncomfortable to drive.
Add Restrictions Regarding Weather
The weather can also make your loved one uncomfortable behind the wheel and this can be another self-limiting restriction that your loved one might consider. Some elderly loved ones aren’t comfortable driving even when it’s just drizzling out, but you might want to clarify with your loved one whether any precipitation at all is a deal breaker in terms of driving.
Keep Distance in Mind
It can also be helpful to give your elderly loved one a restriction on her driving in terms of distances. Short drives around town may be perfectly fine, for instance, but longer drives to another town might be off limits. Work with your loved one to determine what is already a comfortable limit for her and then see how that correlates with your own feelings about how far is too far.
Look for Routes that Are Not Traffic-heavy
Some elderly loved ones are perfectly fine driving in light to moderate traffic. Heavy traffic, on the other hand, can cause them to become flustered and frustrated. If that’s the case with your elderly loved one, it makes sense to restrict her to using routes that are not as heavily traveled. You don’t want to restrict her to routes that are only back roads or lonely stretches of road, though, in case something should happen.
When your loved one is in a situation that doesn’t allow her to drive, let her know how to contact you, other family members, or even senior care providers to take over the driving for her.
If you or an aging loved one are considering senior care in Minnetonka, MN, and the surrounding areas, please contact the friendly staff at CareBuilders at Home Minnesota. Call today 612-260-2273.
