If I would be driving and something happened, I'd feel terrible. Getting an older person to stop driving is one of the hardest things a family will ever have to do. That's because losing driving privileges is among the most traumatic rites of passage. Many seniors don't give in easily, resulting in contentious battles with children. With people living longer and baby boomers, now 36-54, turning gray, the issue is coming of age.
Older people are the fastest-growing group of drivers.
However, there's no need to grab the car keys at the first sign of trouble, says Barbara Spreitzer-Berent, a Michigan gerontologist. Find ways to extend a senior's driving tenure. Investigate alternative methods of transportation when driving is no longer possible. The talk The biggest mistakes families make is waiting too long to bring up the subject and coming on too strong in the first conversation, says Ms. Spreitzer-Berent, president of Quest Learning Resources, a Royal Oak, Mich. training and consulting company that addresses the interests of older adults and family caregivers. All residents must renew their license every four years.