Page 18 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2020 a en orniioor avvy S oreni avvy Senior avyvy vy niiori nio When Should Dementia Patients Stop Driving? Dear Savvy Senior, Is there a good rule of thumb on when dementia patients should stop driving? My 82-year-old mom has early stage Alzheimer’s disease but still drives herself around town just fi ne. Inquiring Daughter Dear Inquiring, Most doctors agree that people with moderate to severe dementia should never get behind the wheel, but in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, driving performance should be the determining factor of when to stop driving, not the disease itself. With that said, it’s also important to realize that as your mom’s driving skills deteriorate over time from the disease, she might not recognize she has a problem. So, it’s very important that you work closely with her doctor to monitor her driving and help her stop when it is no longer safe for her to drive. Here are some additional tips that can help you. Watch for Warning Signs The best way to keep tabs on your mom’s driving is to take frequent rides with her watching out for key warning signs. For example: Does she have trouble remembering routes to familiar places? Does she drive at inappropriate speeds, tailgate, drift between lanes or fail to observe traffi c signs? Does she react slowly or make poor driving decisions? Also, has your mom had any fender benders or tickets lately, or have you noticed any dents or scrapes on her vehicle? All of these are red fl ags. If you need some assessment help, hire a driver rehabilitation specialist who’s trained to evaluate older drivers. See AOTA.org/ older-driver or ADED.net to locate one in your area. Transition Tips Through your assessments, if you believe it’s still safe for your mom to drive, you should start recommending some simple adjustments to ensure her safety, like driving only in daylight and on familiar routes, and avoiding busy roads and bad weather. Also, see if she will sign an Alzheimer’s “driving contract” (see ALZ.org/driving to print one) that designates someone to tell her when it’s no longer safe to drive. You may also want to consider getting a GPS car tracking device (like MotoSafety.com or AutoBrain.com) to help you keep an eye on her. These devices will let you track where she’s driving and allow you to set up zones and speed limits that will send you alerts to your smartphone when she exits an area, or if she’s driving too fast or braking harshly. Time to Quit When your mom’s driving gets to the point that she can no longer drive safely, you’ll need to talk to her. It’s actually best to start having these conversations in the early stages of the disease, before she needs to quit driving, so she can prepare herself. You also need to have a plan for alternative transportation (including a list of family, friends and local transportation options) that will help your mom get around after she stops driving. For tips on how to talk to your mom, the Hartford Center for Mature Market Excellence off ers a helpful guide called “At the Crossroads: Family Conversations About Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia and Driving” that you can get at TheHartford.com/ Publications-on-Aging. Refuses to Quit If your mom refuses to quit, you have several options. First, suggest a visit to her doctor who can give her a medical evaluation, and prescribe that she stops driving. Older people will often listen to their doctor before they will listen to their own family. If she still refuses, contact your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to see if they can help. Some states require doctors to report new dementia cases to the DMV, who can revoke the person’s license. If these fail, consider hiding her keys or just take them away. You could also disable her vehicle by disconnecting the battery, park it in another location so she can’t see it or have access to it or sell it. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. VISIT US TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE CAN DO RIGHT BY YOUR BUSINES S 419 BROADWAY, EVERETT MA 02149 | 61 7 . 38 7 . 1 1 10 7 7 1 SALEM ST, LYNNFIELD, MA 01940 | 78 1 . 7 7 6 . 4444 Member FDIC Member SIF EVERETTBANK . COM Of Saugus, formerly of Revere passed away surrounded by her loving family on February 14, 2020 at the age of 95. Beloved wife of the late Joseph Moschella. Caring mother of Dennis Moschella and his wife Patty of Saugus, Donna Moschella and her partner Denise of Saugus, and Joan Barravecchio to whom she considered as one of her own children. Adored grandmother of Valerie Moschella and her wife Gina Palmer, Suzy Soldani and her husband Eric, April Bancarotta and her husband Pasquale, Jacqueline D’Alleva and her husband Domenic, and Andrea Dost and her husband David. She was a proud great grandmother of 9. Dear sister of Robert Vigliotti and his wife Ann of MN, and the late Alexander Vigliotti and his late wife Marion, and the late Eleanor Petrello and her late husband Raymond. OBITUARIES Dorothy (Vigliotti) Moschella Also survived by many loving nieces and nephews. Dorothy was a World traveler who loved to cook for her family and friends. In her free time she enjoyed knitting at the Saugus Senior Center with her knitting group who would knit hats for the troops and veterans. Dorothy would take an occasional trip to the casino to test her luck. Most importantly she cherished the time she spent with her family and they will miss her dearly. In lieu of fl owers donations can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude PL, Memphis, TN 381059959. Olimpia (Volpe) Tollis Passed away peacefully at home on February 14, 2020 at the age of 86. Her funeral will be conducted from the funeral home on Saturday, February 22 at 9:00 a.m., followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Anthony of Padua Church, 250 Revere St., REVERE at 10:00 a.m. and immediately followed by interment at Holy Cross Cemetery & Mausoleum, Malden. Olimpia was born and raised in Introdacqua, Province of L’Aquila, Abruzzo, Italy to Antonio and Maria Lerina (DelMonaco) Volpe. She immigrated to the United States in 1961. Olimpia was a homemaker but worked as a seamstress in Boston’s Garment District prior to the birth of her children and later at Giannino’s Greenhouse and Marino Ristorante. She was a devoted wife, mother, Nonna and friend whose passion was taking care of her family, cooking, baking, sewing and gardening. She is the beloved wife of 58 years to Antonio Tollis. Loving mother of Anna Tollis of Saugus, Elisa Carfagnini and her husband Mario of Revere, Lina Tollis of Saugus and Antonio, Jr. and his wife Suzanne of Billerica. Adored grandmother “Nonna” of Antonio Carfagnini and Kayla Tollis. Cherished sister of Domenico Volpe of Italy, Carmela (Volpe) Colasante and her husband Domenico of Venezuela and the late Annafelice (Volpe) Restaino and her late husband Biagio and Giuseppe Volpe and his surviving wife Giulia. She is also survived by many cousins, nieces, nephews and dear friends. Former member of St. Anthony’s Ladies Sodality & Sons of Italy Ladies Lodge. RIGHT BY YOU RIGHT BY YOU BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT JOE BONO owner of THE BERRY TAVERN, AL DENTE, BENEVENTO’S, AND BENCOTTO OVER 20 YEARS OF BANKING WITH EVERETT BANK “I can be myself and they can be themselves. Regular people doing business the right way.”
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