Taking away car keys a problem for seniors

Taking car keys is a problem for seniors

I don’t have the answers, but here are some problems when you take car keys away from seniors [“When to take away keys after dementia diagnosis,” News, March 17].

Many of us seniors are living on a small, fixed income, which doesn’t allow for Uber, Lyft or taxis. Long Island is car-dependent. Do you need food? Want to go to the library? Or to the post office? You need a car.

Many of us no longer have family here to help. They moved away to buy houses at lower cost in distant states. My son now lives in Nevada.

My caring, helpful neighbors moved to other states, too. The new neighbors? Well, we’ve asked for help shoveling snow, and we’d pay for it — nothing.

And we surely can’t afford to move to an expensive assisted-living facility for more than a few years. When money received from the sale of our house runs out after awhile, what then? Become homeless?

— Barbara Diamond Obstgarten, Port Jefferson Station

Perhaps the solution to keeping those with dementia from driving is to require a mandatory annual driver’s test for drivers 75 and older.

If one fails the test, then the driver’s license is revoked. This would almost certainly reduce the volume of cars on the already crowded roads and make driving safer for all.

It should also finally prompt the growth of an efficient, reliable, cost-effective and readily available system of mass transportation as an alternate option for those who no longer are permitted to drive.

— Steve Hetzel, Floral Park

I recall situations when loved ones went missing. They ended up in police stations or emergency rooms with no identification, and they could not recall their full name. Loved ones were frantic for days.

If we can microchip our beloved pets, why not do the same for the protection of beloved family members with dementia?

— Carol Ludwig, Wantagh