Koon's Watch

What should you do if you think a loved one’s driving skills have diminished?

That’s the dilemma. Family members don’t know how to assess their loved one’s driving abilities. They dread approaching an older loved one to discuss whether he or she needs to modify his or her driving habits or even stop driving.

However, older drivers and their loved ones and caregivers need to take a realistic, ongoing inventory of the older driver’s skills and openly discuss them. Be prepared with observations and questions, listen with an open mind, and be prepared to offer possible transportation alternatives.

• Does he or she get lost on routes that should be familiar?

• Have you noticed new dents, scratches, or other damage to their vehicle?

• Have they been warned by a police officer, about poor driving performance, or received a ticket for a driving violation?

• Have they experienced a near miss or crash recently?

• Has their doctor advised them to limit or stop driving due to a health reason?

• Are they overwhelmed by signs, signals, road markings, and everything else he or she needs to focus on when driving?

• Do they take any medication that might affect their capacity to drive safely?

• Do they stop inappropriately or drive too slowly, preventing the safe flow of traffic?

• Do they from Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, glaucoma, cataracts, arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes or other illnesses that may affect their driving skills?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions about an older driver, it is important to have caring, respectful conversations about his or her safety, as well as the safety of others on the road.