Elderly drivers

[Magneto]

This is such a sad story. Sounds like they were confused and just didn't make good decisions and now he is dead. There was a story several years ago about an elderly man in Louisville who left to go to the grocery. He got confused and was found driving around in North Carolina not sure where he was. I watch my mom very closely. She sure isn't going to like it when I take the keys one day, but it will be for her own good.

California woman missing for two weeks found alive in car, husband dead

 

[churchmouse]

We had to pull my G-Dads keys. He was pi$$ed off. He had hit just about everything in the alley but the garage door "Opening" in a 2 week period.

Had to pull Dads keys. Same deal.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Same deal in progress with my grandma. Yesterday, I went with her to get gas and go to the store. I have done this regularly for a couple of years now to keep a feel for how she is driving. While I had noticed decline over time, I hadn't seen anything I deemed to require grounding her until yesterday when she crossed the center line into oncoming traffic and I had to take the steering wheel away from her to avoid a head-on collision. The keys are in my pocket--all of the keys--but my aunt hasn't had the talk with her yet. I doubt that it is going to go over very well.

So far she hasn't hit anything and has a life-long perfect driving record, but having to intervene to prevent a head-on collision with her not understanding it after the fact definitely establishes that this is the end of the road.

 

[D-Ric902]

I remember my mother coming over and telling me that her passenger side mirror was broken. Turns out she most likely tagged a parked car.
we had her doctor tell her that she should stop driving.

 

[eldirector]

My wife worked for a doctor for several years. She got a call one day from an older patient, asking for directions to the office. I guess she had left for her appointment.... 4 hours earlier. She was calling from Ohio. The doctor's office was in Carmel, and the patient lived in Westfield.

My wife called OSP on the other line.

 

[Bennettjh]

Sad story indeed.

My mom and uncle had to pull my Grandpa's keys. He didn't like the idea but he trusted my moms judgment and let them go. He was wrecking everything.

 

[marv]

I'm 82 Y O and I can tell you that being shut down from driving SUCKS!! My M.D. stopped me 3 wks ago, immediately after telling me I have had an impromptu bleeder stroke. Heckava note. Wife doesn't drive, we have 2 vehicles, and we have to hitchhike everywhere now.

 

[IndyDave1776]

I'm 82 Y O and I can tell you that being shut down from driving SUCKS!! My M.D. stopped me 3 wks ago, immediately after telling me I have had an impromptu bleeder stroke. Heckava note. Wife doesn't drive, we have 2 vehicles, and we have to hitchhike everywhere now.

Grandma is 85. Dementia is the prime mover in her deterioration. She isn't going to like it, and we don't like doing it, but this is the point where it has to be done. In your case, do you consider it a real issue or the MD being paranoid?

 

[Leadeye]

That's going to be tough for me, still like driving cars, quickly.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

It's case by case. My dad stopped in his early 80s because he was getting confused and losing his reflexes, but he knew it and didn't fight it. My mom's 87 and still doing fine. My grandma made about 90. My half brother has been pretty marginal since he was 65.

 

[MrsGungho]

Grandpa was 91, had to take a driving test and pass or give up his license if he failed, or hospice was going to pull support.

Took his driving test. instructor said not only was he a good driver, he could carry on a conversation at the same time.

Mom was 66 when Dad took her car keys. Age isn't a determining factor for all

 

[Dosproduction]

My mother in law is in her mid 70s one day she is talking about how 16 year olds are to young to drive. I told her 70 year olds are to old to drive. Needless to say she was mad. LOL.

 

[IndyDave1776]

My mother in law is in her mid 70s one day she is talking about how 16 year olds are to young to drive. I told her 70 year olds are to old to drive. Needless to say she was mad. LOL.

A gesture you apparently understand!

 

[spec4]

What constantly amazes me is being behind a terrible driver, finally passing them, and noticing they are young. If they are really old, I make allowances as I'm sure their reflexes have slowed down.

 

[IndyDave1776]

What constantly amazes me is being behind a terrible driver, finally passing them, and noticing they are young. If they are really old, I make allowances as I'm sure their reflexes have slowed down.

This is easy enough to explain. I noticed that most people the age of my grandparents considered driving according to the book to be almost a religion. Most people my age took more license with the rules, but still understood that at least in principle they existed for a reason and conformed sufficiently to meet those purposes. Most young people today are philosophical anarchists and do whatever they feel like doing with no regard whatsoever for the consequences they generate not only for themselves but others. This goes hand in hand with the general trend toward a prevailing self-centered mentality.

 

[Indy317]

I'm 82 Y O and I can tell you that being shut down from driving SUCKS!! My M.D. stopped me 3 wks ago, immediately after telling me I have had an impromptu bleeder stroke. Heckava note. Wife doesn't drive, we have 2 vehicles, and we have to hitchhike everywhere now.

Give how long people are living, if one still has mobility via walking or a scooter, one should seriously look at places to live that are walkable/scooterable. Apartment complexes or homes very close to large grocery stores are ones best bet. I can only imagine what it is like, but with modern medicine keeping people alive much longer than in the past, this is something that millions are going to be facing in the near future. Sad to say but I've already caught my dad repeating stories to me if I'm with him for a full day. Hopefully it was just an oversight that he had already told us the story. I knew my grandma was gone when she asked the exact same question to me three times within fifteen minutes. She went into a home soon after that and passed away not too long after.

You know it is bad when this happens:

[video=youtube;4HisjdEj93Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HisjdEj93Q[/video]