Taking Freedom

You've spent your entire life struggling to earn every penny you have in your bank account. You've managed to have and raise a family through the good and bad times. You voted for presidents and politicians to help the US's success. You've done simple things like cooking what you want, when you want. Gone to the movies when you feel the urge, and even been able to go to the bathroom when you knew you had to go. However, as you age you find these things disappearing to fit other peoples schedules. You may be able to vote, but when? and where? You have someone else tell you what you can and can't eat, and even if it's solid or mush. You have to wait on someone just to go to the bathroom. Your bank account that has your money is now only accessible to the family you managed to raise, or even worse, a non-family member. It's extremely difficult to lose the right to choose what you want when you want. You've spent your entire life learning, working, earning, etc, and now that your retired and can finally do what you want, it's taken away. So your done to just being able to do the essentials in life and requiring help in most of your decisions. But, you are still able to drive to the post office to mail your letter to a family member that lives across the country. And seemingly out of nowhere, someone comes up and tells you they are going to take away your last bit of independence and freedom, your car. It's how you've gotten around since you were 15. It helped establish you as an adult and allowed you to travel and even work. It got you to school to get the education to get the job! It allows you to visit your friends when you want to. And now...it's gone.

It's a very difficult decision in any ones life. I remember having to take my grandmother's keys when she began to show signs of dementia. A drive she took every Sunday and Monday to church for 60 odd years suddenly became a thing of life and death. To take her car was to take away her life. She thrived on counting the money for her church. When that went away, it was almost as if she had no more purpose and the dementia quickly progressed soon after. It seems if we let her keep the car, she might of had a couple of extra years with us. But would that of been worth it when she was getting lost? Driving 10-15 MPH in a 45? and even making careless decisions. Fortunately, she never caused an accident as some of the stories at the end of this webpage concerning  senior citizens and driving.(sad stories.)

But how do we as a citizens who are affected by senior citizen driving know what we can do. We know there's driving laws and test out there, as we each had to pass a test to receive our license. But what about for senior citizens? I believe one of the reasons it's so hard for us to to know is enough with the elderly being able to drive is that there is not set laws. Each state has it's own guidelines, (renewal) and even then, most of them require very little to renew a license. Some states one can do everything online without any personal contact. How is the DMV supposed to regulate licenses without contact?! One way family members can help is to inform the eye doctor or the physician about a loved one who is showing signs. The doctor can then take the license away, but that still requires a lot of effort and a lot of time ends in conflict between the family and their loved one. This is a interesting link that also has a small interactive part to show how the elderly is affected with age and driving, interactive. But with each state having different laws and different times and limits for renewal, it's no wonder it's hard for the elderly to have restrictions. If we can't keep up with the laws with a "fully functional" brain, how are the elderly when there cognitive abilities are slowing.

Until we have set laws that are fluid among the states, I find it very difficult to think that we can have a decent process in which to regulate senior citizen's and their licenses. Below are some links for the elderly and their loved ones. They demonstrate ways to improve elderly driving and also warning signs to look out for. Until the government comes up with a set of rules that is a standard across the US, it will be up to those who interact with the elderly to enforce driving regulations.
http://seniordriving.aaa.com/
http://www.alz.org/care/alzheimers-dementia-and-driving.asp