Seniors: Drive Safely With These Tips

While seniors might hold a wealth of experience over their newly-licensed, teenage counterparts, there are also several risks involved that impair senior driving safety. People over the age of 65, regardless of health, should take a step back to consider whether they should be behind the wheel or not. This, of course, is not just for their own safety, but for everyone on the road.

People over the age of 65 are 16% more likely to get into a car crash than any other age demographic. They are also more likely to be killed in the crash, due to bones being more brittle and various medical conditions that cause the body to go into physical and mental decline. Those who are more likely to faint are twice as likely to cause a car crash (which is fairly obvious) but the reason behind it is that as many as 1/3 of seniors over the age of 70 have a heart condition that can cause habitual fainting.

How to Determine When to Turn Over the Keys

• Is the senior suffering from any cognitive diseases like Alzheimer’s, dementia, etc.?
• Is the senior suffering from a chronic condition such as heart problems, a history of fainting, vision problems, etc.?
• Is the senior taking any prescriptions that can cause drowsiness or have some other impact on driving like causing blurred vision?
• Is the senior showing any decline in reaction time and reflexes?
• Is the senior wearing the proper glasses for his/her updated glass prescription?
  
  

Alternatives to Driving 

While there’s certainly nothing like driving yourself around to where you need to go, there are plenty of alternatives to consider if safety and health is an issue.

• Call a taxi cab
• While Uber is not currently available in Vancouver, there are a number of other ride-share and taxi type alternatives available
• Ask a friend or family member
• Call HandyDart, a ride service for people who have physical limitations or who have cognitive disabilities
• Walk to the location if the weather is agreeable
  
  

Staying Safe While Driving

• Always wear a seatbelt
• Don’t smoke while driving
• Don’t use a cell phone while driving
• Stay fit – mentally and physically
• Keep the radio on low
• Have your route planned
  
  

Seniors living in the Vancouver area, who are interested in learning about home health care providers in Vancouver, or would like free referrals for assisted living in Vancouver, can call the Always Best Care Vancouver branch at 778-945-3010 for a free consultation.

Seniors: When Should You Retire?

Some seniors can’t wait to retire, and still others never want to retire. While working through retirement years may seem to some like the way to stay physically active and maintain a social network, retiring can make these things easier through more time and resources available. Many seniors struggle with the idea of when to retire, so here are a couple of factors to consider when thinking it through:

• Mental Preparedness. Like most people, you’ve probably put 1/3 or more of your life into working. Along with this brings a sense of purpose, social attachments, and a certain amount of stress. Being retired means eliminating the stress, but also, possibly, that sense of purpose that you’ve held dear for the past 30-40 years of your life. To be mentally prepared for retirement, find a new sense of purpose beforehand – could be volunteering, a creative outlet, etc., and also find a way to connect socially. This could be by joining a gym or the YMCA, the local senior community center, or by schedule lunches and dinners with friends. One of the biggest factors to retirement is the possible loneliness, knowing this, create avenues to combat it.
• Financial Stability. Ideally, a senior should be able to live in the manner they’re accustomed to for 20-30 years when they retire. Think about how much it will take to buy food, buy medications, pay for utilities, etc., and also for entertainment and hobbies (as you don’t want retirement to be boring!)

Staying Busy During Retirement

Retirement can mean the very best years of your life because you have the time, and the financial means to pursue dreams you never could before. Here are some ways to stay busy and have fun during your retirement years:

• Travel
• Join a sports program for seniors
• Join a club: book, theater, art, photography, movie, etc.
• Move to another city
• Volunteer
• Remodel your home

Always Best Care has been in the senior care giving industry for the past 20 years. If you are a senior in the North Vancouver area, and would like information about their home care services in West Vancouver, or other options surrounding senior living in North Shore, call the Always Best Care North Vancouver location at 778-945-3010 today to set up your free care consultation. They look forward to discussing your bright future with you!