Talking to seniors about driving

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) - Talking to seniors about not driving anymore can be a tough conversation.  But a new study says the doctor may be able to help.  The Canadian study found seniors are more receptive to doctors telling them when they should stop driving. 

Northampton resident Dominic Bellunduno is 84 and says he drives himself to doctors appointments and errands several times a week.  “I'd be lost, I wouldn't know what to do, I'd be like handicap,” said Bellunduno of not having a car. 

And he's not the only senior who feels driving gives them a sense of independence. 75-year-old Lucille Temple told 22News she's on the road a lot. 

“I've talked to a lot of people that have had to give up their licenses and say it's the worst thing they've had to do, because they have to depend on everyone.  And call them to take them to get groceries to go to the doctors,” said Temple in Northampton on Thursday morning. Temple volunteers for the city’s senior center as a driver. 

But from vision problems to medical conditions, a number of reasons can lead to losing the keys.  And when it's time to have that conversation, a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine says having a senior talk to their doctor may be your best bet. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the likelihood of seniors being injured or killed in a crash increases after the age of 75.  Warning signs like confusion or loss of coordination can help families start the conversation.

“It's really hard for me to see over the steering wheel, it's very difficult for me to turn my neck, it's very difficult for me to take a left hand turn, it's very difficult for me to see at night. All of those kinds of things should be ringing a bell,” said Northampton Council on Aging’s Executive Director, Patricia Shaughnessy.  

Shaughnessy told 22News enrolling seniors in your family in driving programs can make them more conscious of their driving skills and their limitations. It often times leads to them to realize it may be time to give up driving.