To help families conduct conversations with seniors about their driving habits and the possible cessation of driving, Home Instead Inc launches the “Let’s Talk About Driving” education program.
The program features the Safe Driving Planner, designed to help families determine their senior member’s current driving abilities. It also includes free resources and tips to help families determine a plan with their seniors to limit or stop driving when the time is right.
Additional resources available on the “Let’s Talk About Driving” program site include warning signs that seniors may be unsafe on the road, suggestions for easing driving transitions for seniors, and vehicle technologies that can help keep aging adults safe on the road, according to a media release from Home Instead Senior Care.
Home Instead Inc, which franchises the Home Instead Senior Care in-home care services for seniors network, recently conducted a telephone survey of 600 randomly selected seniors in the US and Canada, and asked them about their driving habits. According to the survey, nearly 90% of the respondents say they rely on their cars and driving to stay independent.
However, the survey notes also that 95% of the respondents have not talked to their family members about driving. In addition, 31% said that a recommendation from family or friends that they transition from driving would make them reconsider driving, per the release.
“As adults, we don’t hesitate to talk to our teenage children about driving, but when we need to address concerns with our own parents, we drop the ball,” says Elin Schold Davis, occupational therapist and project coordinator for the Older Drive Initiative of the American Occupational Therapy Association, in the release.
“We know that discussing driving with aging loved ones reduces their discomfort around limiting or stopping their driving. Often, families just need to know how to start the dialogue,” adds Schold Davis, who collaborated with Home Instead Inc to develop the program.
The Home Instead Senior Care network was founded in 1994 in Omaha, Neb, by Lori and Paul Hogan. For more information, visit Home Instead Senior Care.
[Source(s): Home Instead Senior Care, PR Newswire]
