Driving a vehicle fulfills “the innate, human desire for independence,” according to Jenny Nordine, an occupational therapist and certified driver rehabilitation specialist with the business Driving to Independence.
Yet, she knows, the effects of aging can impair an individual’s driving skills. They may become a threat to their own safety, and that of others, when they’re behind the wheel.
Nordine knows another truth: Seniors are not going to simply hand over the keys.
Nordine shared information and strategies with an audience of family members, caregivers and others at “Taking the Keys Away ... Keeping Our Seniors and Community Safe,” presented by businesses Senior Helpers and Mobility Plus on May 30 in Oro Valley.
Seniors might drive too slowly, disobey signs or signals, have difficulty interpreting traffic situations and predicting changes, and fail to yield, Nordine writes.
They can become easily frustrated or confused. They’re more likely to get lost or ask passengers for help.
Loved ones can assess the older driver’s abilities. Do they buckle up? Do they speed? Are they honked at frequently? Do they notice other vehicles, pedestrians or cyclists?
When discussing driving concerns, “don’t give examples of poor driving” while someone is driving, Nordine writes. Do so at home. Use the language, “I am concerned about your safety when driving,” as compared with, “You are not a safe driver,” Nordine writes.
“Anticipate a negative response,” she said. “Any lifestyle change is difficult. ... Your loved one may become defensive and upset.”
Nicole Smith, author of “Diagnosis Dementia: Your Guide for Eldercare Planning and Crisis Management,” details the saga of her mom’s fight to stay behind the wheel on the Driving to Independence website.
“The best way to approach any conversation with parents or loved ones about concerns is to use the word ‘I’ instead of the word ‘you,’” Smith writes. “The discussion is less accusatory and more focused on love. For example: ‘I am concerned for your safety and want to find a solution that works best for both of us.’”
Nordine advises family members to “start the conversation early” with a senior loved one who drives.
“Begin to discuss a mutual plan for safety in driving before there are concerns,” she urged. “Begin using transportation alternatives before needing them. Use delivery services for groceries and prescriptions. Schedule dates to run errands or attend appointments.”
Mark Goldstein, marketing director and clinical liaison for in-home senior care provider Senior Helpers, has become “very disturbed by” regular incidents involving “seniors that should not be driving, specifically when they are cognitively impaired and in denial.
“I hear so many stories about seniors driving and not knowing where they are,” he said. “I have worked with spouses and children who plead with their loved ones not to drive, only to hide the car keys or disable the car.” And, he knows, those drivers put “other motorists, pedestrians and cyclists ... at risk.”
Clinicians like Nordine are trained to assess and counsel those drivers, and determine whether they can safely operate a vehicle. Driving to Independence provides senior safety assessments, a clinical and on-road assessment of a driver’s capabilities that is “specifically designed to provide a professional opinion on driving skill related to the natural aging process." Medical history, driving goals, vision, coordination, cognition, strength and other factors are evaluated. Sometimes, a driving senior wants that “independent opinion of their driving skills,” Nordine said.
“Mobility and independence are highly valued in our society today,” the Driving to Independence website says. “The capacity to drive is crucial to a person’s ability to regain their independence. Often driving seems like an unattainable goal for those who are limited by illness, injury or the physiological changes associated with aging. With our programs, we assist individuals to achieve safe driving skills.”
Along with seniors and their families, Driving to Independence serves people who have suffered spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries, as well as those who have endured stroke, neurological disorders, neuropathy, low vision and learning disabilities.
It aims to “facilitate mobility and independence in the community through safe driver skills.”
“Driving to Independence is an excellent resource in evaluating and training both teens and seniors,” Smith writes. “I am grateful we avoided any major incidents before mom was forced off the road.”
The website is drivingtoindependence.com.
Guests at the workshop sat on motorized vehicles in the Mobility Plus showroom; “the keys were taken away for safety,” Senior Helpers’ Goldstein quipped.
