{"id":560,"date":"2015-06-09T20:52:13","date_gmt":"2015-06-09T20:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-west-suburban-boston\/blog\/?p=59"},"modified":"2015-06-09T20:52:13","modified_gmt":"2015-06-09T20:52:13","slug":"time-to-take-away-the-keys-how-to-address-driving-concerns-with-your-aging-parents-and-how-the-issue-is-handled-at-the-rmv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-west-suburban-boston\/2015\/06\/09\/time-to-take-away-the-keys-how-to-address-driving-concerns-with-your-aging-parents-and-how-the-issue-is-handled-at-the-rmv\/","title":{"rendered":"Time to take away the keys? How to address driving concerns with your aging parents and how the issue is handled at the RMV."},"content":{"rendered":"

—Wendy Adlerstein, LSW and Steve Stern<\/p>\n

How important is driving to our lives?<\/strong> \u00a0We associate driving with survival (being able to buy groceries and get to the doctor), freedom (being able to pack up on a whim whenever we need to get away), and being an adult (being able to get to work and pick up our daily coffee). All of our personal associations about driving and independence are part of what makes the \u201cIt\u2019s time to stop driving\u201d conversation with our aging loved ones so difficult.<\/p>\n

\"ImageUnlike many of the tough conversations you have with an aging parent where you can argue that changes will actually help keep them independent, there\u2019s no softening this blow. Occasionally, the conversation goes better than you thought, but more often than not, you\u2019ll need to come to the conversation armed with an arsenal of argument stoppers.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll need to be able to answer the question, \u201cHow will I do all the things I need to do and go all the places I need to go?\u201d\u2014even if you don\u2019t think they need to go anywhere. I\u2019ve heard many adult sons and daughters say, \u201cI don\u2019t know why he\u2019s so upset because he doesn\u2019t go anywhere.\u201d It\u2019s not about whether your mom or dad drives very often or where they go or how important or unimportant you think it is. It\u2019s about knowing they can get up and go whenever they want, even if they never actually do.<\/p>\n

\n

“It\u2019s not<\/strong> about whether your mom or dad drives very often or where they go or how important or unimportant you think it is. It\u2019s about knowing they can get up and go whenever they want, even if they never actually do.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

Before you start the conversation, think of every protest they could possibly have and have a solution already in mind and written down on paper: How will I get to my doctor\u2019s appointments? When will I be able to get my groceries? What if I have an emergency in the middle of the night? Writing it all down helps them visualize, understand, and feel some control over the situation.<\/p>\n

Come to the discussion with a list of the local transportation resources, their contact info, and clear descriptions of how they all work (and when they work). Put a credit card on file with a car or taxi service and remind your loved one that what they save in car insurance and upkeep each year will more than cover the cost of having a ride available day or night. Schedule a day of the week where you will come over and take them grocery shopping. Plan it all out ahead of time, on paper, and bring it to the discussion.<\/p>\n

\"SeniorBut what if your conversations do not work?\u00a0 It may be helpful to understand how the Commonwealth of Massachusetts addresses the issue.\u00a0 How does the Registry of Motor Vehicles handle complaints about the ability of aging seniors to safely drive?<\/p>\n

First, you should understand that the Registry of Motor Vehicles Medical Affairs Branch sets policies and procedures regarding minimum physical qualifications to operate a motor vehicle.\u00a0 These policies are set without regard to age<\/u>, therefore there are no policies based upon age alone<\/em>.<\/p>\n

If your aging parent, as a Massachusetts licensed driver, has a medical condition which he or she believes may affect his or her ability to operate a motor vehicle, they MUST report the condition to the Registrar and refrain from operating a motor vehicle until the condition is resolved.\u00a0 There is no legal requirement for a physician or other interested party to report a possible unfit driver to the Registry.\u00a0 However, if an interested party reports a driver, the Registry will act upon the information.<\/p>\n

\n

“There is no legal requirement for a physician or other interested party to report a possible unfit driver to the Registry. \u00a0However, if an interested party reports a driver, the Registry will act upon the information.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

So could a neighbor, for example, make a report? \u00a0The answer is yes\u2014but that neighbor cannot remain anonymous.\u00a0 All reports must be in writing and be signed by the person making the report.\u00a0 The report must include the name and address of the complaining party as well as the identification of the individual whose driving ability is being questioned, including the name and at least one of the following: social security number, license number, date of birth and address.\u00a0 The report must contain the reason for the complaint and a description of the purported functional information.<\/p>\n

Reports are accepted from family members, physicians, law enforcement or other interested third parties, including members of the individual\u2019s community (neighbors), private driving schools, physical therapists, etc.\u00a0 Outside of a report received from a medical provider, the Registry conducts an assessment of the individual\u2019s qualifications to operate a motor vehicle safely.\u00a0\u00a0 The Registry will request that the individual submit a medical evaluation from his or her physician.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0The Registry seeks expert opinion from the individual\u2019s treating physician, because the physician is the person best qualified to respond to questions regarding the individual\u2019s medical condition and the potential implications on the ability to operate a motor vehicle safely.\u00a0 In some circumstances, based upon the physician\u2019s recommendation, the Registry may require the individual to undergo a competency road exam, prior to taking a licensing action.\u00a0 While this evaluation is ongoing, the Registry will place an \u201cactivity hold\u201d on the license record.\u00a0 This would prevent the issuance of a new license until the evaluation has been concluded.<\/p>\n

If a report comes directly from a physician or law enforcement, The Registry may initiate a licensing action directly, without first seeking a physician evaluation.<\/p>\n

\n

“The Registry could request that the individual voluntarily surrender his or her license (in which case he or she can receive a Mass. ID card at no charge). There are no negative effects on a driving record when a license is voluntarily surrendered. “<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

Based upon a complaint, the Registry can decide that no further action is needed.\u00a0 The Registry can also request that the individual schedule and take a competency road exam and\/or assessment for adaptive equipment and appropriate license restrictions.\u00a0 The Registry could request that the individual voluntarily surrender his or her license (in which case he or she can receive a Mass. ID card at no charge). There are no negative effects on a driving record when a license is voluntarily surrendered.\u00a0 If an individual\u2019s condition improves and he or she can provide appropriate documentation, the license may be restored to former active status.<\/p>\n

Finally, If an individual does not comply with the Registry request to voluntarily surrender the license, a hearing will be scheduled and the license may be indefinitely revoked.<\/p>\n

Hopefully, you\u2019ll never get anywhere near that point.\u00a0 Your conversation will have created a vision of how life and freedom can still go on for your aging parent.\u00a0 Please let us know how it goes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

—Wendy Adlerstein, LSW and Steve Stern How important is driving to our lives? \u00a0We associate driving with survival (being able to buy groceries and get to the doctor), freedom (being able to pack up on a whim whenever we need to get away), and being an adult (being able to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":63,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,5,6,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-caregivers","category-in-home-care","category-rethink-aging","category-senior-care","category-senior-transportation"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-west-suburban-boston\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-west-suburban-boston\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-west-suburban-boston\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-west-suburban-boston\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-west-suburban-boston\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=560"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-west-suburban-boston\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-west-suburban-boston\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/63"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-west-suburban-boston\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-west-suburban-boston\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-west-suburban-boston\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}