96 YO Mother fall questions

@willow5 Yes, a physician has a duty to report an incapable and currently licensed driver if they assess one as no longer capable. Or, the licensing bureau or insurer will, if they learn of the apparent/suspected incapacity, send a letter to the driver stating that they require a letter of assessment from a qualified physician. Happened to me when I informed the licensing bureau of my atrial fibrillation. It was the usual question on the five-year renweal questionnaire about any health changes, and as an honest person, I dutifully responded truthfully.

@kjoed53 Not the first time. If the police catch that driver, there's a cost. And licensing bureaus cancel privileges all the time. They just need to get a formal document that lists the driver as unqualified/dangerous/non-compliant, etc.

@gloaming
If someone is determined to drive and owns a vehicle, they will drive until their car is impounded and they have nothing left to drive. It doesn't matter if they lose license, insurance or registration.

@gloaming, it's the assessment that is concerning. A clinically practicing doctor doesn't like to spend time in court, so they typically only act when there is medical evidence of impairment. It needs to be on a completely different level than the subjective view of the "child."
Thanks to elder abuse laws, this type of abuse is becoming less common.

I am 69 and have a messed up knee that buckles on me at random times. I don’t carry my cell phone on me at all times which I know is a mistake if I fall. My son got me an Apple Watch which has a fall detection feature on it and if I don’t respond within several minutes and cancel the fall detection alert it calls emergency personnel. Other options I have used with elderly relatives are placing Alexa’s in their home where they can tell it to call 911 and installing indoor cameras so I could check in on them remotely.

@momma2lucy
I too have an Apple Watch with that feature but no one ever showed up so I don't have much confidence in the Apple Watch.
About a month ago and 94-year-old friend of mine fell. She didn't have her phone and her Alexa was set not to activate during the middle of the night. She was on the floor for 15 hours before getting help. You should always have your phone on you.
Jake

@woojr -- I'd bet you know your mom better than anyone. Based on your informal assessement of her physical / mental capacity, at the very least, I think I'd also want a true assessment by experts of my mother's actual abilities. This would include getting both a cognitive test covering the rules of the road; a physical, behind-the-wheel and in traffic assessment by a professional instructor; and even her GP's medical opinion of her functional level, strength, response time, hand / feet coordination, and a vision test.

Here in FL, I believe a close family member can informally request the DMV to follow up on a concern with respect to seniors of a certain age. The request may be asked to be handled anonymously. Companies and individuals here that complete the driving assessment must be trained and licensed. While our DMV also undertakes "minimal eye tests" through our driving years, it may further request, based on a professional's recommendation, that a more comprehensive vision exam be undertaken.

Of course, the goal of the above is to safeguard the life of the senior driver... AND the general public... while allowing a driver the opportunity to demonstrate her / his continued safe driving skills.

All the best!

/LarryG

@larryg333, thank you for your comments. I believe we're close to the end of her driving. The effort she has to exert these days just keeping her fluids down is exhausting. She quit physical therapy because they wanted to do an assessment like you describe. We've been to the cardiologist and she will be getting a new pacemaker in June. She's getting bloodwork tomorrow to check potassium and sodium levels which have been a problem. As far as driving, she needs my help just getting into my car for any needed trips. She insists on staying in her home and doing all the daily things like cooking and taking care of bills and when I stop in (daily now), she's usually asleep in her recliner. I have to wiggle her feet to wake her. She's becoming more forgetful. Surprisingly her balance has been okay. She realizes she can't get up too fast. Her weight has been steady which is amazing since her caloric intake is really low as well as the daily lasix treatments. Thanks again Larry

@woojr, I'm really glad you are getting the bloodwork . It may be the new blood pressure meds could be adjusted. Blood pressure meds do cause the type of fatigue you described. You probably know that clonidine causes itchy rashes. And is not recommended first line for the elderly. Glasses and hearing aids often get lost, but they could improve her life. Usually there is a workaround with different medications that could restore her energy. I suspect her imbalance is entirely the medications. But it does take careful attention by a cardiologist.
She is on the internet. It would be interesting if she could join us.

@gently, the cardiologist changed her BP meds. About the same time she started having fluid building up and the swelling, her BP dropped into a range of around 120 over 70. She hasn't taken clonidine for quite some time. It was prescribed for high BP spikes she was having.
My wife took her to the hairdresser after she had something to eat after the bloodwork. Mom told her she's never felt so exhausted and she couldn't sleep last night. I picked her up this morning for the bloodwork and she seemed pretty good, didn't mention sleep problems. Believe me, she tells me when she has trouble sleeping. It happens frequently after she takes long naps in the daytime. The cardiologist says her heart is not pumping as it should. It's getting stiff and can't remove the fluid. I don't think she's going online anymore. She's not even reading the mail, something she's done faithfully forever.
The good news is she is comfortable, clean and in her home and a phone call away from help.