What Are the Big Signs that Your Senior Needs Help with Driving?

You might not notice smaller signs that your senior is having trouble with driving, but the big signs are ones that you definitely don’t want to miss.

Home Health Care Alexandria VA: Senior Needs Help Driving

She’s Having Trouble with Lanes

Lanes are more than just suggestions. Many older drivers start to have difficulty staying in one lane while driving. Your senior may also find that it’s difficult for her to change lanes when she actually needs to do so. The big problem with your senior having trouble with lanes is that other vehicles may not always be able to avoid her car, which can lead to an accident.

The Car, House, or Garage Are Showing Signs of Scrapes or Dents

Take a close look at your senior’s car, the house near where the car is kept, and the garage or carport as well. What you’re looking for are dents, scrapes, or scuff marks that tell you that your senior is missing the mark occasionally. This can be particularly telling since her home and garage should be an area she’s familiar with maneuvering her car in easily.

She’s Wrecking or Almost Wrecking Her Car

Near misses or actual accidents are a huge red flag that your aging adult isn’t driving as well as you might want her to drive. It’s possible that you might not even know about these wrecks until well after the fact, especially if you don’t live with her.

She’s Got a Lot of Moving Violations

Beyond actual accidents, your senior might be collecting tickets. These are often called moving violations because it usually means that an officer has witnessed your senior driving in an unsafe manner or neglecting to follow traffic laws. Traffic tickets may be easy to hide from you, but her insurance company definitely knows about them, so skyrocketing car insurance rates can be a big clue about this.

She’s Not Paying Attention to Signs and Signals

One of the bigger moving violations your senior might be ticketed for can include ignoring traffic signs and signals. It’s incredibly unsafe for her and for other drivers because it means that she could be running red lights, ignoring stop signs, or moving too fast for the roadway. This can also be a sign that she’s exercising poor judgment.

When it is time for your elderly family member to give up driving, senior care providers can help her to get everywhere that she needs to go safely. Remind your elderly family member that this helps her to maintain her independence.

Are you or a loved-one considering Home Health Care in Alexandria, VA?  Please call the caring staff at Medical Professionals On Call today. Contact: 703-273-8818

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Michelle DeFilippis

I graduated with a BS degree and had been selling medical equipment to hospitals, clinics and technicians. More recently, a family member was diagnosed with dementia and we, as a family, realized we were not prepared t care for her. We were thrown into that whirlpool of hospital stays, 24/7 live-in care, skilled care, caring for mom ourselves and finally, now daily home care. This was such a stressful time that I started thinking there had to be other people, other families as overwhelmed and unprepared as we were.

Medical Professionals On Call has such a caring, professional staff who are available to step in with whatever level of care necessary for loved ones and to relieve you of that stress.

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