How Can You Address the Topic of Having Your Aging Adult Stop Driving?
Bringing up the topic of no longer driving is something that you might have been avoiding doing. If your senior family member’s driving is bad enough, however, you might be courting disaster by trying to avoid an argument.
Senior Care Drexel Hill PA – How Can You Address the Topic of Having Your Aging Adult Stop Driving?
Here are some tactics that can help you have a solid discussion that gives you both results.
Be Careful and Respectful
Rolling into this conversation like a bulldozer is not going to get you the result that you want. In fact, it’s far more likely to make your elderly family member dig in her heels and refuse to discuss the topic any further. Be as respectful and careful about how you talk about this topic as you can possibly be.
Use Specifics Rather than Generalities
Avoid telling your aging adult that “people her age” shouldn’t be driving. Instead, offer up specific examples that make you uncomfortable about her driving. If she’s unable to control the car or has amassed an amazing amount of traffic tickets, refer to those examples specifically. Being vague is not going to be helpful here.
Ask Other Family Members What They’ve Seen
Your aging adult’s other family members may have seen some things that have worried them, too. Unfortunately, they may be in a similar position that you’re in and they don’t want to upset your senior family member. What happens, however, is that everyone is concerned but there’s no action taken. Talk to other family members and ask what they’ve seen. You can then incorporate that information into your own examples.
Give Her Options She Can Access Easily
Your elderly family member has to have some transportation options. You can’t take away her keys and then leave her stuck at home, particularly if she’s used to going wherever she wants. Make sure that she has some options that are easy for her to access, such as senior care providers who are right there with her. If the options you provide are seamless for her, she’ll get used to them much more readily.
Try to understand how difficult this conversation is for your senior family member. Giving up driving is not something that most people can do easily and it might hold far more meaning for her than you realize.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Senior Care Services in Drexel Hill PA, please contact the caring staff at True Direct Home Health Care today.
Doc, as he is called by everyone - staff, patients and clients - first experienced home health care and hospice care while as a colleg student at King's College as he cared for his mother every day while she first battled COPD and then lung cancer. It was during this time that he came to understand that caring for a patient was more than just clinical expertise.
"Admittedly, my strongest attribute is my communication skills and the simple fact that I love to help people. Even the smallest thing you can do for someone really can mean so much to them long term. In fact, it could change them forever. That's what providing quality personal home health care should be all about."
In his spare time, he cooks for homeless shelters and children's music and arts events. He also is highly involved in his local youth sports soccer academy as a coach and Board member.
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