Should Mom Drive?

Until recently I have never thought of my mother as too old to drive. She worked out at the Y 5 days a week and went golfing with her brothers every Thursday. She was doing all the cooking and most of the cleaning for my sister and her husband who live with her (my sister never left home). She also cared for my father who needs help with ADLs and IADLs. She suffered a small stroke last week and though she has told me she is totally fine, and ready to get back to her routine, this has really made me realize she REALLY IS 80 YEARS OLD! Her MRI showed that she's had several mini-strokes in the past. She is itching to drive but she is waiting on clearance from her doctor who she will be seeing this Friday. It will be interesting to hear what he says. I remember her telling me she told her father he couldn't drive anymore when he was in his 60s. She had no reason other than she thought he was too old to be driving anymore. I'm worried this conversation is going to come up when I go to visit her at the end of this summer. It will be difficult if I think she is not safe to drive anymore. I know how important her activities outside the house are to her. She gets lots of her social contact at the Y and she is the "baby" of her church friends and is often the one who drives them around. My sister will not be happy since she will bear the brunt of the burden of being the chauffer and she will no doubt try to convince me our mother is safe to drive in town.

We talked in class about driving not having to be an all or nothing deal and I thought that made perfect sense but I came across a couple of articles stating that accidents are not just happening to elders in heavy traffic on unfamiliar routes but also close to home. They are just not as quick to react, have visual perceptual deficits, and have problems focusing. Also, knowing that my mom has been having small strokes makes me worry what if the next one happens while she's driving. What if she injures someone else? I know that would devastate her more than the effects from a stroke. At what point do the "what ifs" weigh heavily enough to take a parent's license away? It's so much more than just a license and the impact is felt not only by the person who is no longer able to drive but also everyone that person associates with as well. I can only hope it's the doctor who makes that call.

When is it time to put brakes on the elderly?

Older drivers, elderly driving, seniors at the wheel