My mother called a while ago, stranded on the side of the road
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She just had her 89th birthday a few days ago. But she is as physically active as any 60 year old, and for the most part, mentally as sharp as a tack. But this afternoon she called to tell me her minivan had stopped running and she was stranded.
I jumped in my car and took off to go get her, and called my cousin and told him to bring his rollback and haul the minivan back to the shop. I couldn't imagine what might be wrong with the car... it couldn't be out of gas because she checks the fuel gauge constantly and gets worried if the needle goes below the half ful mark.
So I get there, my cousin gets there with the tow truck, and I say "did you run out of gas?" Indignantly she says "Of course not. I've got almost half a tank of gas. Get in and look for yourself!"
So I get in and look......
"Momma... That's the temperature gauge..."
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It is a tough decision. A car (or something like it) is a big source of independence for elders. Losing that can be a real loss.
I hope that by the time I am unable to drive, there are self driving cars that are good enough for me to use.
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It is a tough decision. A car (or something like it) is a big source of independence for elders. Losing that can be a real loss.
I hope that by the time I am unable to drive, there are self driving cars that are good enough for me to use.
@taiwan_girl said in My mother called a while ago, stranded on the side of the road:
It is a tough decision. A car (or something like it) is a big source of independence for elders. Losing that can be a real loss.
I hope that by the time I am unable to drive, there are self driving cars that are good enough for me to use.
Until you hurt yourself or somebody else, independence is fine.
“Cry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!”
Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terrorists’ "due process". — Buck Sexton
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That's always a tough call. In his late 80s we had to have that talk with my dad. He suffered some mini-strokes and had a dramatic change in cognitive abilities in his late 80s. The gerontologist he was seeing said that isn't that unusual - that from 85-90, there's often a more dramatic decline in cognitive abilities though not necessarily in confidence.
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@taiwan_girl said in My mother called a while ago, stranded on the side of the road:
It is a tough decision. A car (or something like it) is a big source of independence for elders. Losing that can be a real loss.
I hope that by the time I am unable to drive, there are self driving cars that are good enough for me to use.
Until you hurt yourself or somebody else, independence is fine.
@Jolly said in My mother called a while ago, stranded on the side of the road:
@taiwan_girl said in My mother called a while ago, stranded on the side of the road:
It is a tough decision. A car (or something like it) is a big source of independence for elders. Losing that can be a real loss.
I hope that by the time I am unable to drive, there are self driving cars that are good enough for me to use.
Until you hurt yourself or somebody else, independence is fine.
+1
Having a vehicle accident that causes injury or death for others would be devastating for your mom. When folks get to her age, the odds go up dramatically. -
I remember as a kid, how the older the old people got, the bigger the cars that they bought. Huge cars, even bigger than Larry's.
Electra 225. Steamboat. Try parking one of those mid 60's tanks nowadays, you'd wipe out and crush cars you'd swear weren't there.Car manufacturers could emphasize technology targeted towards older drivers. Small car, easy to maneuver, good visability (yes, to be able to see 360 degrees!), heads-up display, computer systems that could help with intuitive voice feedback "you should fill up within 50 miles, you are too far to the right, you should move up closer to the stop line, watch for cross traffic ahead, push the 'park me' button to have me park automatically, you are going 20 mph under the speed limit, HERE COMES A FUCKING TRAIN FLOOR IT FOR GOD SAKES!!" and so on.
I was arguing with my Audi computer voice lady the other day. Problem was, I needed to use the exact words for the navigation command to work. Really, Audi? How about 10 different ways to say it, any one of which would or should be correct. I hate fiddling with dials and buttons while driving, and I refuse to do more than guess what the voice commands should be. I have my pride.
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My father started scraping the car against the garage. That’s what we could see. It was probably worse than that.
He knew it though.
When he finally moved in with my sister I drove him in his car from IN to Arlington. When he walked in her house he handed my sister the keys and said ‘take it, I won’t be needing it anymore’.
