cognitive decline in seniors Tag Archives

Published on: June 17, 2024

Mild Cognitive Declines May Push Seniors to Give Up Driving

Older people who suffer mild mental declines are likely to make the decision to give up driving in order to eliminate their risks of being involved in auto accidents.

Concerns about senior drivers have increased over the past decade with the increase in the number of motorists above the age of 65 driving on our streets. With life expectancies at all time highs, it is natural that we see many senior drivers on our roads. Driving is key to senior physical and mental health. However, seniors may suffer from several age- related declines and impairments that reduce their ability to drive safely and increase their risks of being involved in a car accident. Vision may begin to fail and hearing may become less sharp as the years go by. Even more disturbing are the mental or cognitive declines that seniors may face as they get older.

A new study finds that most seniors who begin to suffer mental declines like forgetfulness make the decision to give up driving on their own. As part of the study, the researchers tracked 213 seniors above the age of 72. None of the seniors suffered from symptoms of mental decline at the beginning of the study, but as the years progressed, some of them began to suffer from deficiencies including impairment in memory, judgment and reasoning.

Published on: September 1, 2023

More than 60% of Seniors with Cognitive Declines Continue to Drive

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A vast percentage of seniors who have age-related cognitive declines continue to operate motor vehicles, seriously increasing their risks of being involved in an auto accident. Senior are especially susceptible to serious personal injuries when involved in a car accident which makes preventing these accidents a high priority.

According to a new study, far too many seniors who have impaired cognitive abilities or thinking declines as per a cognitive assessment score continue to operate motor vehicles without hesitation. The study found that more than 600 adults in a particular county suffered from thinking declines as per the cognitive assessment test, and that more than 61% of these persons who suffered cognitive declines continued to drive.

Suffering a cognitive decline does not automatically mean that a person may be unable to drive. In fact, not all of the caregivers who were involved in the study believed that the senior drivers in the study had their driving skills affected by their cognitive difficulties. About one -third of the caregivers admitted to having concerns about the driver’s ability to safely operate a car. However, there are safety issues involved when a person with cognitive issues takes to the road.

Published on: July 15, 2017

Seniors with Dementia May Be at Risk of Poisoning from Laundry Detergent Pods

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

It’s not just young children who may be at risk of poisoning after ingesting brightly-colored and attractively packaged laundry pods. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is increasingly coming across cases involving seniors with dementia who have swallowed these pods by mistake, causing severe injuries, and in many cases, fatalities.

Laundry detergent pods are brightly packaged and come in several shiny hues. These qualities make them extremely endearing to children. The pods are designed to dissolve as soon as the packaging comes into contact with water. Children are naturally attracted to shiny, colorful things.

Children can be at risk of poisoning as soon as they put these pods into their mouths. In fact, the CPSC is aware of incidents involving persons who died after swallowing or ingesting these laundry detergent pods. Ingesting even one such pod could be dangerous, and even lethal.

Published on: August 22, 2010

Taking Away the Keys – Senior Motorists Need Encouragement to Give Up Driving

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The decision to step in and take action when you see an elderly motorist beginning to lose his driving abilities, is never an easy one to make.However, for millions of Americans in the position of caregivers for their parents, it’s a moment that presents itself sooner or later.

Studies estimate that elderly motorist safety is likely to become an even bigger safety concern in the years ahead, as the baby boomer population hits its 70s.According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, in 2008, 78% of the senior population in the United States had driving licenses, compared to 73% just a decade earlier.Those numbers are expected to increase over the next decade.

It’s important for families of these motorists to know when to make the decision to suspend or restrict the person’s driving privileges.It’s also important to gently ease the person into giving up the keys, or at least present him with a set of alternatives to driving.Here are some steps you can take to keep your loved one and others safe.