It isn’t easy to go to your senior and share with her that you’re worried about her ability to drive. But if you don’t have that talk, your senior’s safety might be at risk.
Look for the Patterns that Apply
Before you talk about driving, it’s important that you know exactly what you’re going to be talking about. You may know that you’re worried in general about your senior’s ability to drive, but if you don’t have some specific examples, you might find the conversation more difficult than you expect. Do what you can to collect some specific examples that relate to what you want to talk about. Those are going to help you to be direct with your elderly family member.
Bring Answers to the Conversation
When you come into this conversation, you need to bring answers with you. If you only have the issue itself, without any sort of solution, that’s going to create more strife with your senior. Take some time to figure out what the right answers might be for your situation. Brainstorming possible solutions is a good idea, but you don’t want to overwhelm your senior and make her feel as if you’re cutting her out of the situation. One answer might be to hire elderly care providers to drive for her. There may be other answers depending on what specifically is creating problems for your senior.
Talk with Her Doctor about What’s Going On
It can also help to talk to your senior’s doctor about both what you’re witnessing and what she’s experiencing. It’s vital that you have as much information as you can gather in this situation and her doctor is the best source of direct information about your senior’s health. Having this talk as soon in the process as possible can help both you and your elderly family member to face what’s happening head on rather than ignoring important details.
Step Back if the Conversation Gets Heated
This is a topic that gets touchy very quickly if you’re not careful. If you push the conversation, you and your senior might both regret the whole thing. Talking calmly and openly about your senior’s ability to continue to drive is possible. You may need to have this talk in stages, though. Don’t be afraid to take a step back if one or both of you are not handling the conversation well. You can’t put it off forever.
Sooner is better than later, especially if you suspect that your senior isn’t safe behind the wheel. Think about how you’d want to have someone approach you and try to remember to extend some compassion to your senior.