How Would Your Life Change If.......

[Waterfall]

How would your life change if your doctor said you could no longer drive a car and your license was taken away?
How do you think this would affect you mentally?
What enforced changes might devastate you or set you back from living your life the way you're used to now?

 

[Waterfall]

It's not always Alzheimer's or dementia that might challenge us. My father had congenital heart disease and eventually required O2...the doctor took away his license at 65 because sometimes he would pass out and the fear was this might happen while driving.

 

[Mendalla]

Well, right now it would mean having to work from home fulltime or bum a ride. I do have a team member whose route goes close to my house.

How it would affect me mentally long haul would depend on the reason. If it was dementia, then probably would be a huge blow given family history and probably loss of ability to do my job and a lot of what I do for leisure (e.g. writing). If it was some physical ailment or injury, perhaps less so as long as I could still function well in other ways. Probably the most devastating physical reason for me to lose my license, being a computer geek and avid reader, would be vision loss since likely I would be losing a lot more than just my ability to drive.

 

[JayneWonders]

I've pondered as we live in country, but relatively close to city.

I've become more of a recluse over the last few years.

If my spouse could still drive, then, I would be less independent until I was able to get the hang of bus systems

It would impact seeing some family. I have often relied on transit when traveling though so could likely continue

I've switched to doing most non grocery purchases online and many have delivery

Locally, I can book a ride for a reasonable amount of booked a day ahead . It may be shared

 

[Waterfall]

I'm thinking, isolation would be a major blow to our mental health if we didn't address it honestly or the resources within our towns weren't available; or spouses and friends die or become infirmed, money becomes tight, etc...,
For me, I think losing my license would deprive me of the freedom to just take off and enjoy the ride...it's always been the car that allowed me to go to a calm place, talk to myself and God, and be truly alone ( not lonely), just to relax or take me to never before seen places. I would miss that sense of exploration and just turning down a street or into a town I've never explored before.
The spontaneity of visiting people also.
I'm thinking of Biden, and his high level of achievements and a full work schedule being reduced and the whole country giving him his notice to resign to fix things. So public, while you relearn and come to some kind of acceptance.

 

[KayTheCurler]

How would your life change if your doctor said you could no longer drive a car and your license was taken away?
How do you think this would affect you mentally?
What enforced changes might devastate you or set you back from living your life the way you're used to now?

I am living this scenario, except I didn't wait to be told. It has been my misfortune to inherit a genetic eye disease that has been steadily stealing my vision for many years. Once I was unable to see reliably I stopped driving and relied on my partner for drives as needed. My latest eye test showed sufficient vision impairment that I no longer qualified to have a license.

It is hard, I fight depression daily, I struggle with social activities and finding things to keep me amused. Apparently I truly don't have any friends as no one has offered to take me to an event, no one comes over to share a cup of coffee etc.. The people I called my friends have all died, disappeared into dementia or moved to a larger community that offers Supported Living services.

There has been a lot of grief to process as I reluctantly accepted that my camera was useless to me, that I can no longer read music, sewing is just an exercise in frustration and so on and on. Fortunately I can enlarge text on my computer so I can continue to use it. Regular reading requires large print plus powerful magnifiers. However, I can only select books from the library shelves (that hold lots of Christian romances, regular romances, westerns and popular authors who have very weak vocabularies etc). Yes, some better books are probably available electronically, but I haven't accepted that innovation yet. A tablet isn't a book!

Using a mobility scooter seemed to offer opportunities to get out of the house. That too presented challenges though. Every corner doesn't have a ramp. Some ramps aren't directly across the toad. I found myself 'trapped' on the highway after starting to cross and not being able to see the 'off' ramp! It was more than a bit scary. Unless there is lots of available light there are some vehicles that I can't easily see as they blend in with the road colour. Tricky.

One thing I didn't anticipate was the difficulty I have recognising people. Faces are pretty much a blur. Yesterday someone came to the door - I should have known him but couldn't use his name as I couldn't really see him. He wanted my partner anyway so that worked out ok.

Hope this doesn't sound to 'whiney'!

 

[JayneWonders]

It doesn't sound whiney.

My mother-in-law became blind from macular degeneration. She found talking books turned her life around. She was never highly sociable. She walked everywhere. She did find not recognizing faces made conversation difficult especially in social gatherings. She was unlikely to name her issue or give signals (no cane)

My dad agreed to use a cane which was a godsend. People moved out of hi way.
He learned how to ride the bus
He was overly extroverted and sometimes would ride the bus just to have an outing.
The cane was a conversation starter

 

[Waterfall]

I am living this scenario, except I didn't wait to be told. It has been my misfortune to inherit a genetic eye disease that has been steadily stealing my vision for many years. Once I was unable to see reliably I stopped driving and relied on my partner for drives as needed. My latest eye test showed sufficient vision impairment that I no longer qualified to have a license.

It is hard, I fight depression daily, I struggle with social activities and finding things to keep me amused. Apparently I truly don't have any friends as no one has offered to take me to an event, no one comes over to share a cup of coffee etc.. The people I called my friends have all died, disappeared into dementia or moved to a larger community that offers Supported Living services.

There has been a lot of grief to process as I reluctantly accepted that my camera was useless to me, that I can no longer read music, sewing is just an exercise in frustration and so on and on. Fortunately I can enlarge text on my computer so I can continue to use it. Regular reading requires large print plus powerful magnifiers. However, I can only select books from the library shelves (that hold lots of Christian romances, regular romances, westerns and popular authors who have very weak vocabularies etc). Yes, some better books are probably available electronically, but I haven't accepted that innovation yet. A tablet isn't a book!

Using a mobility scooter seemed to offer opportunities to get out of the house. That too presented challenges though. Every corner doesn't have a ramp. Some ramps aren't directly across the toad. I found myself 'trapped' on the highway after starting to cross and not being able to see the 'off' ramp! It was more than a bit scary. Unless there is lots of available light there are some vehicles that I can't easily see as they blend in with the road colour. Tricky.

One thing I didn't anticipate was the difficulty I have recognising people. Faces are pretty much a blur. Yesterday someone came to the door - I should have known him but couldn't use his name as I couldn't really see him. He wanted my partner anyway so that worked out ok.

Hope this doesn't sound to 'whiney'!

I thought of you when I posted this, I'm glad you replied. (And I don't think you're whiny either) None of us knows what may come, we're all vulnerable to unknowns, so I think it's good to share.
Have you ever considered posting something in the local store to attract others who may be in a similar situation, and would love to meet a couple times a week for coffee or whatever?

 

[BetteTheRed]

I will go blind in the foreseeable future, as well. I have badly managed glaucoma.

I will hate giving up my license. What it does is slow down your life, which isn't always an awful thing, maybe. And I love reading on my tablet and expanding the text size, and I'm getting accustomed to audio books.

My additional problem is that my hearing is erratically a bit difficult as well, due to repeated ear infections due to eczema in my already child-sized ear canals.

Someone said to me once that blindness cuts you off from things, deafness cuts you off from people, but I suspect it's a lot more nuanced than that.

A lot of these questions also change a lot depending on the existence/competency of your life partner. My current partner has mobility issues (weight, plus a hip replacement that might have gone better) and he's quite deaf, but his eyesight and mental acuity are very high. Collaboratively, we're running into a couple of dilemmas. I am small and flexible and can get into little spaces, BUT the arthritis in my fingers makes me less dexterous than desirable. And it's bad when I'm deaf because of my infections, because we sorta rely on one person to hear reasonably well. He texts a lot.

 

[Waterfall]

I will go blind in the foreseeable future, as well. I have badly managed glaucoma.

I will hate giving up my license. What it does is slow down your life, which isn't always an awful thing, maybe. And I love reading on my tablet and expanding the text size, and I'm getting accustomed to audio books.

My additional problem is that my hearing is erratically a bit difficult as well, due to repeated ear infections due to eczema in my already child-sized ear canals.

Someone said to me once that blindness cuts you off from things, deafness cuts you off from people, but I suspect it's a lot more nuanced than that.

A lot of these questions also change a lot depending on the existence/competency of your life partner. My current partner has mobility issues (weight, plus a hip replacement that might have gone better) and he's quite deaf, but his eyesight and mental acuity are very high. Collaboratively, we're running into a couple of dilemmas. I am small and flexible and can get into little spaces, BUT the arthritis in my fingers makes me less dexterous than desirable. And it's bad when I'm deaf because of my infections, because we sorta rely on one person to hear reasonably well. He texts a lot.

Do you tend to think of how you will compensate for these things and put plans in place, or just deal with it when it comes?
I know I tend to think my partner will be there to help because he's eight years younger, but that's not always the way it goes....his health could go sooner or later, who knows.

 

[Nancy]

I could handle losing my license....I'd have a much harder time losing my eyesight. @KayTheCurler my heart goes out to you. I've often thought that, without the ability to drive, I would walk, or take a bus, or even a cab if I needed to get places. I work on my mobility so that walking will always be an option. A week ago my knee went out and I had to use a walker to get around the house. Thankfully, good physio is getting me back on track. I love the independence that goes with being able to drive, but I drive as little as possible...I choose to walk to the grocery store, the bank machines, the drug store, my mom's and my sisters' places. But...church is too far away, so I would either have to quit going, or bum a ride.

 

[KayTheCurler]

I thought of you when I posted this, I'm glad you replied. (And I don't think you're whiny either) None of us knows what may come, we're all vulnerable to unknowns, so I think it's good to share.
Have you ever considered posting something in the local store to attract others who may be in a similar situation, and would love to meet a couple times a week for coffee or whatever?

No, I haven't thought of that. I will keep it in mind. Locally a FB post may get more response though. There is no public transport and the taxi only works when the owner feels like it.

 

[KayTheCurler]

I will go blind in the foreseeable future, as well. I have badly managed glaucoma.

I will hate giving up my license. What it does is slow down your life, which isn't always an awful thing, maybe. And I love reading on my tablet and expanding the text size, and I'm getting accustomed to audio books.

My additional problem is that my hearing is erratically a bit difficult as well, due to repeated ear infections due to eczema in my already child-sized ear canals.

Someone said to me once that blindness cuts you off from things, deafness cuts you off from people, but I suspect it's a lot more nuanced than that.

A lot of these questions also change a lot depending on the existence/competency of your life partner. My current partner has mobility issues (weight, plus a hip replacement that might have gone better) and he's quite deaf, but his eyesight and mental acuity are very high. Collaboratively, we're running into a couple of dilemmas. I am small and flexible and can get into little spaces, BUT the arthritis in my fingers makes me less dexterous than desirable. And it's bad when I'm deaf because of my infections, because we sorta rely on one person to hear reasonably well. He texts a lot.

As is often the case, I have several other challenges. COPD, both forms of arthritis, A Fib, neuropathy etc.. I seem to be playing it according to the need of the moment. My vision is very much reliant on light - so I run into 'I can't see well enough today, but I could yesterday'. A bit frustrating.

I have contacted the Town administrators about FB communications that can't be enlarged and the ramps for mobility scooters. They were very receptive both times and said they had Accessibility on their current list of concerns. Someone has been told to find all the ramps and make a map. I suggested painting each one in a bright colour to enhance visibility. Now I wait and see.

 

[Luce NDs]

I've lived among depressives all my life ... you get conditioned to it and thus the fall ... its ultimate! Thus we get right down to it!

As the word says stop and listen you can hear rest and relief coming ... many just cannot see it ... could be their extensive emotes in their acts ... one should pay attention or ye'll drop off ...

Daryl be screams and muttering ... people are so conflicted and debatable to an observing psyche ... if you've ever looked into one ... autonomous sole ...