News

Dementia and Driving

Published Date:

According to the National Institute on Aging, there are more than 41 million licensed drivers age 65 and older on the roads, up from 26 million just 20 years ago. As a person ages, changes in health, including problems with vision, hearing, and reflexes, may affect driving skills.

The risk of being injured or killed in a motor vehicle crash also increases as a person ages. When a person has dementia, the risk increases more.

What happens when the person with dementia is no longer able to stay safe on the roadways? Click here to read an how to recognize an unsafe driver and what to do when your loved one can no longer drive safely.

More from SIU News

Sinus surgery patient

'Oh my gosh, I can breathe!' A patient’s life-changing care at SIU Medicine

As a full-time real estate agent and proud grandmother of six, Caron is used to staying busy. But for years, chronic sinus infections disrupted her life—striking almost every month and making it hard to sleep, breathe or feel her best.
Simmons Cancer Institute pink ribbon of people in parking lot

Advanced cancer care options close to home

Simmons Cancer Institute offers nearly a dozen clinical trials for different cancer types, including lung, breast, multiple myeloma and urothelial cancers.
hearing loss patient, now hearing better than ever

From Silence to Sound: Hearing Restored at SIU Medicine

With dozens of texts and calls coming in from anxious homebuyers and sellers, Kerris Osborn’s days are already full. Add in the demands of co-owning a busy deli with her husband, and it’s clear the