Why Is National Traffic Awareness Month a Big One for Your Senior?

Every August, National Traffic Awareness Month reminds people to pay attention to what is going on around them as cars and pedestrians share spaces. But it’s also a good time to think about driving and your senior. At some stage, it may become apparent that your elderly family member needs to stop driving and let someone else take the wheel instead. Here are some ways that you can take stock this month.

It’s a Reminder to Be Safe on the Road

National Traffic Awareness Month is an excellent reminder to pay attention to the road and to driving safety. In general, that means not driving while distracted and following the rules of the road. Specifically, that means taking a closer look at what is happening with your senior and whether driving is right for her. Some states even require that seniors retake their driving test once they reach a certain age. It’s good to know whether that’s a requirement for your elderly family member.

It’s a Chance to Make Sure Your Senior’s Car Is Safe

Start with your elderly family member’s car. It’s important to make sure that the car’s necessary maintenance is handled properly and that everything about the car is in good working order. Routine maintenance can be difficult for your senior to keep up with on her own, so it might be necessary to have someone else take care of that for her.

It’s a Chance to Evaluate Your Senior’s Driving

The next concern is your elderly family member’s ability to drive. If you’re seeing anything that causes you to wonder if she’s alright to be driving, you may want to look closer. Some of the signs that you need to be aware of include accidents or near accidents happening more often and changes to your senior’s driving habits, like never driving at night anymore.

Talk with Your Senior about What Happens Next

Regardless of whether your senior needs to stop driving now or not, it’s really important that you have a conversation about what happens when she does need to stop. Having a plan in advance helps to reduce the chance that your senior hangs on to driving longer than she really should. The emphasis needs to be on safety, because that is the truly important aspect of that decision.

Let Senior Home Care Do the Driving

The key to making sure your senior can follow any plan you put together around driving is to make sure she has a backup plan. Senior home care providers can help her to get where she needs to go safely, without driving herself. Caregivers are able to help your elderly family member with all sorts of tasks, including being safe at home and while out and about.

Finding the right solutions for your senior is so important, especially when she’s dealing with more than one challenging issue. There may be a lot more that senior home care can help your elderly family member to manage, which can help her with safety in all areas of her life.