Born in the 50’s, retired from a long career in court-reporting, I find myself in a new chapter of life. Due to health issues, I am to some degree aided by my three adult children. The purpose of my blog is to share experiences as a senior citizen interacting with adult kids.
There are rewards, challenges and sometimes frustration. (Just a side note, I live in a senior citizen community where I interact with seniors and their families daily.)
A very hot topic in the community is driving.
Cathy , 86 , drove her car into the back of a truck. She has no recall of the accident. She suffered minor injuries, but was sued and lost her license. She has severe macular degeneration.
Doris, 86, has a 1990 vehicle with numerous dents. She often drives through stop signs, down the street the wrong direction and gets lost in her own neighborhood. Her kids insist she stop driving. She says, “I drive great.”
Driving means independence. Giving it up means relying on others, whether family, friends, cabs, buses, et cetera.
Usually it is left up to the doctor to start the conversation about no more car keys, but the family usually plays the role of enforcer, if there is family involved.
I hope when the time comes I can make a good decision. I would not wish to live knowing I injured someone or worse.
What do you think? Should there be a mandatory age limit on driving? Would the states ever do it when they collect millions on licensing? My kids often call it driving while aged, but what age is aged?
Comments