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How do you accept change as you age?
Aging Well | Last Active: Nov 7, 2020 | Replies (277)Comment receiving replies
Hi @barbb This was some time ago, so it may have changed some, but it was at Mayo's Rochester campus. While it was requested by her primary doctor at Mayo, IIRC it was overseen by the Occupational Therapy folks. The machine was set up with a seat like a driver's seat with the usual controls (pedals, steering wheel, turn signal, dashboard, etc.). There was a large screen in front and was what these days we'd say is like an interactive video game. The machine produced various lighting conditions, traffic levels, and things happening, such as traffic lights changing, a ball coming out into the street, bikes along side, etc. It was set to read her reaction times to these real-life driving situations. I no longer recall how long it took as it was part of a multiday set of physical and mental/psychological testing, but not terribly long.
Probably not for everyone, but it was hugely valuable to our family to address this very challenging issue amongst, at the time, multiple challenging issues.
Strength, courage, and peace
Replies to "Hi @barbb This was some time ago, so it may have changed some, but it was..."
@IndianaScott Perhaps hearing it from a medical professional helped in your family situation. MK may have thought about giving up driving but didn't want to become more of a burden to others.
That is what happened to my dad. He was always a safe, considerate driver. But his reaction time, ability to recognize unsafe conditions both increased, and he started having parking lot "incidents". He knew better than get on the road for a long drive. He gave up his driving privilege after a meeting with doctors, and became the absolute worst back seat driver!
@rosemarya This is a great topic. When driving, I do not refer to any GPS, change the radio, eat, and am not much of a conversationist to a passenger. I need all my faculties for the road, to keep myself safe from others. In unfamiliar areas, I have directions written down in large type, and will pull over safely if confused. Around here at night, there is little light, and long stretches on the interstate with no lighting. This is cause for my stress levels to go way up, due to deer and elk on the road; I try to not be out at night.
Ginger
@IndianaScott, This is kind of funny - the way I misunderstood what you were saying. I thought you were saying that at Mayo there was a purely electronic test - that one could access by computer - that could give a reasonable assessment of one's ability to drive. Is that insanely farfetched? 🙂
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This is such an interesting topic. I know it's a huge issue for some families who need to get their relatives off the road.
A few years ago, driving to work, I was in a very serious, multi vehicle highway accident which was caused by another driver's inattentiveness and, by some miracle, I escaped without any serious injuries, although my car was destroyed. It really made me conscious of how dangerous driving can be. I had driven for 50 years at that point, without an accident and was feeling pretty blase about it all. But the danger is real and the damage that can be done in an instant doesn't bear thinking about.
I think the key is for me to make my own decisions. I learned this from my mother who voluntarily gave up her license after a hip fracture because she felt she wasn't able to react quickly and feared hurting someone. If I make such a decision for myself, it's empowering and just the start of a new phase. If someone else has to make it for me, against my will, then it is a sign of my decline and it's hard to put a good spin on that.
Moving into an area with good public transit and lots of good neighbourhood stores has enabled me to get rid of my car and Uber is a great service. Also, compared to maintaining a car, paying insurance and so on, I'm saving buckets of cash and I'm getting daily exercise. Win, win.