How do drugs affect you as a senior woman? I’m sure that you are very capable of deciding what your actions will be while you are taking prescription drugs. But have you thought about how they affect your driving?
Are you reluctant to give up your wheels? I sure know that I don’t want to give my wheels up. A large part of our country just isn’t set up to make it easy for seniors to move around in without transportation. Many of us live far away from our nearest relatives and have no one to rely on to run errands for us. So sometimes we think, well, I’m not going far and I can drive that short distance. But, that isn’t always the case.
If you are a member of AAA Auto Club, read the information they mail to you. Recently they stated that “prescription medications pose a threat to traffic safety, with only 28 percent of seniors 55 or older surveyed in a limited study are aware of the potential impact those drugs can have on their driving”.
After reading this report,I became much more aware of how drugs affect my reaction time when I’m driving. Many of us are taking prescription medications that do affect how fast we think and react.
How do you make sure you are aware of the side affects of prescription drugs?
1.Prescription drugs usually carry warnings, that state the side affects. If the drug makes you drowsy, don’t drive.
2. Make a note to talk to your doctor that is prescribing your drugs! Some doctors are not giving senior women enough information. Maybe because we are too nice and concerned about taking up the doctor’s time we don’t ask.
3. Apply these suggestions to Over the Counter drugs also. I know sometimes I just go to the pharmacy and ask for something to help my sinus or some other ailment that I think is insignificant. These drugs can also impair our ability to drive safely.
When you feel that it may not be safe to drive at this particular time or permanently, then speak with your family or someone that you trust and work out details for having your errands run.
Stay Safe,
Tonnia N. Smith