When should you hang up the keys?

One of the most important aspects of aging that older adults seek to hold onto is their independence.

However, there are times when difficult decisions and conversations may be required and independence may have to take a backseat to one’s safety and personal wellness.

The most common of these difficult decisions involve the hard choice of when or whether to hang up your keys and no longer operate a vehicle.

This is an especially heartbreaking prospect for some. Getting a car and a license is an enormous life milestone, giving young adults the opportunity to see friends, go on dates and attend events with impunity, no longer requiring reliance on family members or public transportation.

By no means is this an eventuality for all older adults, as many can safely continue to drive well into their aging journey. But there are several aspects of one’s physical wellness that affect our ability to drive safely which go hand-in-hand with aging.

Vision:

Having strong vision is vital to safe driving practices. As individuals age, pupils reduce in size and don’t dilate as much — requiring more light to properly see. This can make night driving a more dangerous prospect and the glare of bright headlights can range from annoying to painful.

Moreover, various conditions can affect the eyes that often come with age: glaucoma, cataracts or macular degeneration are a few of the more common ones.

Hearing:

Emergency sirens, the honks of an incoming driver or any other number of important sounds can warn a driver of incoming danger. Hearing loss reduces the ability of an individual to properly react in time to these stimuli, and the Canadian Hearing Society estimates that more than 60 per cent of Canadians over the age of 65 have age-related hearing loss.

Side effects:

There’s a stereotype of the older adult with a whole host of prescription bottles and blister packs to treat a variety of conditions and aches, but there’s a small bit of truth in the stereotype.

One in four seniors are on 10 or more prescription medications in Canada, according to a report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

The side effect of these medications can be numerous, and many of the more common side effects can have a negative effect on one’s driving ability: dizziness, drowsiness, blurred vision and more.

Be sure to always speak to your pharmacist or physician regarding side effects and how they might affect your ability to drive.

Motor Skills

Common age-related conditions — such as arthritis — can cause diminished motor skills that can reduce one’s reaction time to unexpected driving situations. according to the Canadian Automotive association. Some of these conditions can be solved, in terms of vehicle operation, through modifications to one’s vehicle, seat or driving techniques, while others may be more difficult with which to deal.

Warning signs:

If you’re wondering whether or not it’s time to hang up the keys and make alternate arrangements, the Canadian Automobile Association lists some early warning signs which may point to that direction.

• Have I been issued two or more traffic tickets or warnings in the past two years? Tickets can predict a greater risk for collision.
• Have I been involved in two or more collisions or “near-misses” in the past two years? Rear-end crashes, parking lot fender-benders, and side collisions rank as the most common mishaps for drivers with diminishing skills, depth perception, or reaction time.
• Do I have difficulty working the brake and gas pedals? A driver who lifts their leg to move between pedals, instead of keeping their heel on the floor and pressing with their toes, may have reduced vehicle control.
• Do I occasionally miss stop signs and other traffic signals? This may indicate difficulties with spotting road signs in a crowded, constantly moving visual field.
• Do I weave between or straddle lanes? Signaling incorrectly or not at all when changing lanes can be particularly dangerous, especially if there are challenges with checking mirrors or blind spots.
• Do other drivers honk or pass frequently, even when the traffic stream is moving relatively slowly? This may indicate difficulty keeping pace with fast-changing conditions.
• Do I get lost or disoriented easily, even in familiar places? This could indicate problems with working memory or early cognitive decline.

How to have The Talk

For those who care for and about older adults in their lives, whether it be a partner, a parent or a close friend, you may have noticed some of the above warning signs and be concerned about your loved one’s driving ability.

Having that conversation, however, may be a difficult proposition. By no means do you want to reduce a person’s independence, but unsafe warning signs are difficult to ignore.

There are various ways you can make The Talk go smoother and be less confrontational.

Don’t surprise the person with The Talk. Let them know in advance it’s something you’re wanting to speak about. Let them know that this isn’t going to be about forcing them to stop driving, but rather about finding ways so that they can drive safely.

Talk openly about how the aging process can affect driving ability — the aforementioned talking points about the physical effects of aging can be of assistance.

Ask if the individual has any concerns themselves about their driving ability. If your own concerns are based on observation, bring up specific examples that are fact based, while reassuring them you’re trying to find a solution in a non-confrontational manner.

Talk about various solutions or modifications the individual could make: not driving at night or in low visibility conditions, not driving long distances or doing highway driving.

Agree on a course of action for the future, whether that might be to have their driving assessed, to modify their driving behaviours, eye exams, or even a later date to have a continued conversation about how the individual feels about their skills.

And if you truly feel as though the person is driving unsafely in a way that could be harmful to others or themselves: address it. The potential consequences are absolutely worth having a difficult conversation.

Looking towards the future

If the conversation does reach the point where an older adult decides to hang up their keys for good, it’s important to make a plan to ensure their well-being is not negatively affected as much as possible.

This could look like finding what destinations are most important to their overall wellness: it could be church, the local library, or even Kerby Centre!

From there, identifying different modes of transportation that are available for them to get to these specific places, whether it is public transportation, local volunteer driver organizations or even close family and friends who have availability to assist with mobility.

It’s good to get introduced to these options before you need to rely on them: take a few trips on public transportation with a close friend or family member before going on them alone in order to get more comfortable with the process. That way when it finally comes down to making the switch, you’ll feel experienced and safe with the entire situation.

The loss of transportation and individual mobility is a difficult prospect. But, there are always methods to ensure one’s wellness, agency and routine are affected as least as possible so that every person can continue to enjoy the things in life important to them for many years to come.