Let's Talk about Driving

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The Conversation

Nobody wants to parent their parents, but driving could be putting your senior at risk. It's time to talk to your parents about driving.

Executive Summaries

Research conducted by Home Instead, Inc., franchisor of the Home Instead franchise network, indicates that surveyed North American seniors are still very active on the road.

Safe Driving Planner

It can be difficult to know whether your senior loved ones are still safe on the road or a danger to themselves or others. Check out this Safe Driving Planner for resources to help you and your senior driver learn more.

Medical Conditions that can put the Brakes on a Senior's Driving Days

When it comes to driving, there are a number of strategies that can help keep older adults safer on the road. In fact, many seniors can continue to drive safely into their later senior years. It's not until certain medical problems come down the pike that seniors may need to give up the car keys.

4 Suggestions to Ease Driving Transitions for Seniors

Developing a process to assess your older loved one's driving abilities, communicating your concerns, and planning ways to transition your older loved one from driving could help take some of the emotions out of this potentially controversial and contentious situation.

10 Warning Signs That Seniors May Be Unsafe on the Road

It's important to collect the facts before making any recommendations about continued driving. Here are some signs that further investigation could be needed.

Retiring from Driving: How to Make the Transition

To understand what it means to give up driving, it's important first to understand what driving means to an individual.

4 Misconceptions about Giving up the Car Keys

Discontinuing driving can be a scary proposition. It's time to separate fact from fiction. Here are four common misconceptions seniors may have about giving up driving.

3 Roadblocks Families Typically Face When Seniors Give Up the Car Keys

Your senior loved one has voluntarily given up the car keys and you may be breathing a sigh of relief. While your mind could be at ease, problems for you and the senior who may be counting on your help might be just beginning.

When You Don't See Eye-to-Eye with Seniors

Your senior wants to keep driving, but you don't think it's a good idea. When you don't see eye-to-eye, tempers within families can flare and hard feelings may result.

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• So your senior loved one is still on the road. Maybe they are a perfectly safe driver. Perhaps they are not. How can you tell?

  Having that conversation is a good first step. But research conducted by Home Instead, Inc., franchisor of the Home Instead® network, revealed that most people aren’t talking.

  While nearly one-third (31%) of surveyed seniors 70 and older who were still driving said that a recommendation from family or friends may make them reconsider driving, most of these older adults (95%) have not had these conversations.

  Fear can keep families silent. But avoiding the conversation doesn’t make the issues go away. There are lots of options out there, both to keep seniors safely on the road longer as well as to prevent isolation when they do give up driving.

  “Driving does not equal mobility,” says Elin Schold Davis, Project Coordinator, AOTA Older Driver Initiative, American Occupational Therapy Association. “It’s one way to get from point A to point B. It’s important to know that giving up driving is not giving up engagement in the community, recognizing that exploring and becoming comfortable with alternatives will take some work.”

  Let’s Talk about Driving℠ features a wealth of resources for older adults and their families, whether they are still on the road or have given up the keys.