Your friends and family might not be as aware of your senior’s driving limitations as you are. In fact, they might be persuaded by her to take her side in the debate, even if you’ve determined there’s no debate. The fast solution for this is to let friends and family know that your senior isn’t able to drive and why. Then, if they still want to insist that she’s fine, you can follow up with information from her doctor.
In fact, your senior’s doctor may be where you need to go next for help. Your senior’s doctor could convince her that driving isn’t in her best interests, even if you haven’t been able to do so. Sometimes having a “prescription” to stop driving is more powerful than all the logic and detailed information that you can put together. Your senior’s doctor might also be able to officially do something, like let the DMV know that your senior needs to stop driving.
It’s never a great idea to outright lie to your senior. Those can tend to backfire and that’s something you want to avoid if possible. But there may be times when your senior just won’t take no for an answer when it comes to driving. You might start telling her that the car needs repairs and that the mechanic won’t let anyone drive it right now. Or you could tell her that the keys have gone missing. As icky as this can feel, it might keep your senior from insisting on driving.
If nothing else is working and your senior keeps trying to drive, you might have to get rid of the car altogether. This can be difficult on a lot of different levels, especially if the car has sentimental value at all. But on the upside, if your senior doesn’t own the car any longer, she won’t have to pay for insurance and other associated vehicle costs. It is also a foolproof way to keep her from driving it.
Your senior needs to have alternative transportation if she’s not going to drive, so you need to line that up first. Hiring home care providers is a reliable solution. They can be there to help with other situations and make sure your senior gets where she needs and wants to go whenever she’s ready to go.
Co-Owner, First Choice Senior Care
Kayla Stephens is the co-owner of First Choice Senior Care. She grew up in Northeast Arkansas, and has worked in rehabilitation, hospice care, managed nursing homes and a large home care agency. She has received several awards for sales and quality achievements in hospice and long-term care.
Kayla believes in advocating for and educating seniors and their families on a variety of topics and issues that impact them. Reflecting on the need for an independent home care provider interested in quality over quantity, she chased her dream of building her own company that would make a significant difference in the lives of seniors, providing a much-needed service in her own local community.
Kayla holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Arkansas State University, is licensed by the state of Arkansas as a Long-Term Care Administrator, and is a Certified Senior Adviser.
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