Having a plan is the key to success with a lot of situations and helping your senior to give up driving is definitely one of those situations. This is not a conversation you can just toss out there out of the blue and hope that it goes well.
Do Your Homework First, Before Saying Anything
If you say something to your senior about her driving before you have all your ducks in a row, you’re already going to be behind. The very first thing that you need to do is to assess what is actually happening behind the wheel. Make note of observations you’ve personally made, talk to other family members, and write down anything else that might be important, like increases in repair bills or damage to the vehicle itself.
Refine Your Approach
Your approach is going to matter a lot more than you think. If you don’t broach this topic with the right degree of respect, you might find the door slammed on the topic. Let your senior know that your chief concern is her safety. If you start out by calling her a bad driver, you’re more likely to be in for a battle.
Don’t Use an Arbitrary Deadline
Very often family caregivers get scared and they feel forced to do something like lay down the law and assign a deadline or an ultimatum. That’s not going to work. If anything, ultimatums and deadlines tend to make people more resistant, not more cooperative.
Offer a List of Options
Keep in mind that when you go to anyone at all with a problem and no solutions, you’re in for a difficult conversation. It’s always better to have at least one or two alternative options. So instead of driving herself, your senior might rely on home care providers or on other family members. These are possibilities that your elderly family member might not have thought of if you didn’t bring them to the table with you.
Be Prepared to Compromise
You may not get what you want right out of the gate. You have to be prepared to compromise if that’s the best you can do right now. For example, your senior might agree to stop driving at night, but refuse to change anything about her daytime driving habits. You need to determine if that’s an acceptable compromise for right now.
Driving, specifically convincing your senior not to do so, is not an easy conversation or task. There may be several times that you revisit this entire process from start to finish. Patience is going to serve you really well during this series of events.
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care services in Cinco Ranch, TX, please call the caring staff at At Your Side Home Care. We will answer all of your senior care questions. Call today: (832) 271-1600.
Our Certified Nurse Aides, 24-Hour Live-in Assistants and Home Health Aides are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We also provide the security and confidence of 24-hour Telephone Assistance, so fast, reliable help is always available when it's needed. To learn more about our homecare services see our homecare services page.
Different people need different levels of homecare. To meet the requirements of our clients, At Your Side Homecare maintains consistent staffing levels of caring professionals. Homecare service is available for as little as a few hours a week, or as many as 24 hours a day, seven days a week
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