You see it in the media. An elderly person who probably shouldn’t have been driving gets into a horrible crash. Taking away a parent’s keys is hard, but thoughts of them causing or being in a serious crash should be more alarming.
There are five main reasons for seniors to give up driving. Worsening eyesight is one of those reasons. Being hearing impaired, impaired cognitive skills, joint pain, and muscle weakness are others. Experts think that daily exercise could help with the joint pain and muscle weakness and increase the amount of time your parent is able to drive.
What Exercises Are Best?
When you’re behind the wheel, there are certain things you need to be able to do. You have to turn the head, neck, and even upper torso to fully check blind spots. Gripping a steering wheel and holding it steady is critical to stay in a lane or to prevent a crash in inclement weather. Arm, wrist, and finger strength are important for vehicle control. Quickly moving the foot from the brake to the gas pedal is also necessary to brake on time.
In a standard transmission, your parent also needs arm and shoulder strength for shifting and using the parking brake. If your mom or dad has lost flexibility and muscle strength, exercises need to focus on the arms, back, neck, legs, ankles, wrists, and fingers.
The best exercise program is one that mixes exercise routines. Your mom or dad want to get 150 minutes of exercise or more each week. This breaks down to at least 30 minutes per day during the work week. Mixing up the exercises ensures that every muscle gets a workout.
Have your parent take a brisk walk three days a week, work with free weights one day a week, and join a Yoga class one day a week. Other good exercises to mix in for variety are swimming, bicycling, and working out on an elliptical machine.
Is It Time to Arrange Transportation Services?
While exercise can help your parent stay limber, depreciating vision may keep your mom or dad from driving. Alzheimer’s disease also affects the ability to safely drive. When your parent simply cannot drive anymore, you’ll need to drive them to appointments and area businesses.
Sometimes, these trips interfere with work schedules and personal responsibilities. If that happens, caregivers can help. Hire caregivers to keep your parents company, drive them to appointments, and run errands with them. Call a home care agency to discuss pricing.
