It’s a scary feeling for seniors when they realize that the time to put their car keys aside has arrived. Also for us, their loved ones who care about them deeply, it can be difficult to know where to start in order to help them come to terms.
If your Seniors are reluctant about giving up their car keys and driving, it may take some convincing and help from their loved ones on this matter. In this blog, we will discuss how to help your elderly give up their car keys in a smooth and peaceful way. The transition from being a driver to not being able to drive is a difficult time in the lives of our elderly loved ones, but it is more important to help guide them through it.
Why It’s Important to Talk About Driving With Seniors
It’s a tough topic for many people to discuss, but the truth is that senior loved ones need to give up their car keys. Seniors are often faced with an abundance of medical issues and simply can’t keep driving safely anymore.
This article will give you some tips and tactics that you can use to help get your senior loved ones to put down their car keys for good! If you are lucky, they will agree without an argument. If not, you have several options.
Here are some tips on how to help them let go of their car keys:
1. Talk to them.
Any family members, caregivers, and anyone else valued by your senior should be present when the time comes to talk to them. If possible, keep the person’s dignity in mind and do not force them to give up their driving license.
Constructive arguments are key to helping your elderly understand. Seniors are often faced with an abundance of medical issues and simply can’t keep driving safely anymore.
2. Offer them a compromise.
A senior loved one might be willing to trade their car for access to transportation systems like public transit.
Once you help them find alternatives, they might start considering spending more time with you and their loved ones, resulting in using their car less until eventually putting the keys away.
3. Eliminate the temptation.
If your loved one is stubborn and unconditionally refuses to give up their car, an ultimatum like removing their car keys, gas in the tank or even selling it while they’re not looking might be your last option.
While this may seem extreme, it might save the life of your loved one, another driver, or a pedestrian.
4. Give them solutions.
Explain how their transportation will look like once they put their keys aside and stop using their vehicle. A step-by-step plan of how they will modify their transportation and how to adapt to it as needed.
You could make it sound interesting to them by letting them explore different methods of transportation, like buses, walking, bike riding (if possible), or even scooters!
Conclusion
It is important to remember that our Seniors, our baby-boomer generation, are the ones who used to drive us to school or to our friend’s houses when we were young.
They were our support then, which is why we owe it to them to be their support now. It is paramount to approach them gently and with love, so they feel our compassion and desire to be there for them no matter what.
