Discuss Senior Driving Concerns - Home Health Agencies Springfield MO
Seniors often want to continue to drive even if it’s not safe for them to drive anymore. There are often many reasons behind this, including the need to feel like they can get out of their home when they need to go somewhere. At Visiting Angels, we’re different from home health agencies in Springfield Missouri. While we don’t provide medical care, we do provide the assistance your loved one needs to continue to live independently at home. Part of this is through helping them with transportation when they have somewhere to go.
Safety Precautions for Driving
There are a few different concerns you might have as a loved one continues to drive as they get older. One of these concerns is that their reaction time has slowed. This happens with age but can be dangerous when the senior is driving. Slower speeds and leaving more distance between cars can help minimize this issue.
Difficulties seeing and hearing can be major issues while driving. If your loved one is having trouble seeing as well as they used to, it is not a good idea for them to continue driving. Glasses may help minimize this issue, but they may need to avoid driving at night and cease driving altogether if they start losing their peripheral vision. If they have trouble hearing, they may not be able to hear high-pitched sounds like sirens, trains whistles, or horns. A hearing exam may help them minimize these issues.
Some of the Concerns of Not Driving
When a senior simply cannot drive safely anymore, it doesn’t mean they’re going to willingly give up the chance to drive. After all, that is taking away their ability to easily get where they want to go and they may feel lonely if they cannot get out of the house easily. When your loved one has concerns like this about quitting driving, use resources like Visiting Angels to help them find companionship and transportation. With the right help, you can alleviate their worries.
What Alternative Transportation Means are Available?
Our caretakers at Visiting Angels can help your loved one if they cannot drive anymore. We are not a home health care agency as we provide non-medical services, but one of the services we offer is assistance with transportation. We can help transport your loved one to appointments or to run errands. Our transportation service can help them get out of the house so they don’t feel lonely and can help keep them safe when they have somewhere they need to go.
Talking to a loved one about driving is not easy to do, but it’s a conversation that must be had for them to be safe. If you’re concerned with your loved one’s ability to continue driving, contact us to talk about transportation services today. While we don’t provide medical services like a home health aide in Springfield Missouri might, we do provide transportation, companionship, and other services to make sure the seniors we care for are comfortable and happy. Contact Visiting Angels today to learn more about how we can help your loved one.