SHOULD YOU BE DRIVING?

A question to be discussed early and often with your doctor as soon as you become a senior. And if any of these behaviors occur while you’re driving you should check with your doctor immediately.

Early signs of dementia:
• Forgetting how to locate familiar places.
• Failing to observe traffic signs and signals. • Becoming angry or confused while driving. • Hitting curbs often while driving.
• Confusing the brake and gas pedals.
• Forgetting where you’re going during a trip.

Early signs of undiagnosed diabetes:
• Becoming sleepy or dizzy.
• Developing blurred vision.
• Losing consciousness.
• Having a seizure.

Warning signs and symptoms that you’ve had a stroke:
• Numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
• Confusion and trouble speaking or understanding.
• Trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
• Trouble walking, dizziness and loss of balance or coordination.
• Severe headache with no known cause.

Fortunately, these signs don’t necessarily mean you have to stop driving right away. The symptoms could be the result of one of your medications. Or in some cases, your doctor can treat the illness. In any case, talk it over with him and he will let you know if you can continue to drive.

If your mind and vision are still sharp but you have aches and pains or arthritis, they can alter your car and fit it with larger, angled rear and side view mirrors to help minimize blind spots and reduce physical demands on head and neck flexibility. I’m hoping the baby boomer generation will make these alterations mandatory. It would clearly help me out.

Steering wheel covers are available to reduce the amount of hand and wrist strength needed to grip and handle the wheel. And there are a variety of low-cost key grips or holders which provide multiple grasping positions to help people with arthritis easily turn door and ignition keys. You can drive safely with many conditions as long as you work with your doctor to manage your condition with safe driving in mind. Both the AARP and the AAA give information regarding refresher driving courses for seniors onsite and online. Their websites are full of information to help keep you on the road as long as possible.

Norma Nixon Schofield
nschofield@abc-seniors.com

Always Best Care of Western CT is an in-home non-medical care agency but we are able to help even when in-home care is not the best option. We offer personalized counseling services which help match clients with Assisted Living Communities when transitioning is a better option. We willingly escort clients to tour the individual facilities to assure there is no pressure or missed information. . For the full story visit our site at: www.AlwaysBestCareWesternCT.com or call us at (203) 262 6170.