Safety Tips For Seniors While Driving With A Walking Boot
If you have a senior that needs to drive with the use of a walking boot, it’s important to take a few precautions before driving. First, you’ll want to make sure they’re wearing their walking boot and not just the bandage over it. The risk of falling in this situation is too great; doing so could result in serious injury or even death.
Moreover, if your senior is accustomed to driving, you’ll want to make sure they’re wearing it correctly. In most cases, the boot needs to be worn so that the toes are in a straight line with the heel of the foot.
If these precautions aren’t adhered to, there’s a chance your senior could end up with an injury that could last for some time. Also, they might end up with pain and possibly swelling in their foot from being forced into incorrectly worn boot territory.
That’s why it’s so important that your senior wears his walking boot properly as this will turn out better for everyone involved.
Safety Tips For Seniors Driving With A Walking Boot
1. Use a car seat. Many seniors don’t like them, but they do provide some protection in the case of an accident. They also give the senior something to hold onto and prevent them from falling out of their seat and injuring themselves further.
2. Drive slowly and carefully until you are sure you are safe behind the wheel after returning from the emergency room or hospital after a fall or other injury. You should also be sure that you are following doctor’s orders for treatment, such as wearing special shoes, using canes or walkers, participating in physical therapy and more.
3. Avoid driving at night when possible to limit your risk of falling while picking up speed on the highway.
4. If the senior has been driving with his boot for a while, we recommend you monitor him closely. There may be some troubling signs that he is not fully stable after wearing his boot.
5. If the senior has been driving for a while with his boot, make sure he has undergone an evaluation by his doctor or podiatrist at least before the doctor advises him to wear it longer. You can also take your senior to an orthopedic specialist or medical specialist and get more feedback on how he’s doing after wearing that boot for a longer period of time.
6. Make sure your senior can easily see the pedals and steering wheel so he doesn’t have to move his foot around if he has a boot on it. Also make sure the seat is adjusted appropriately so he’s not twisting his foot around unnaturally before or while driving.
7. Make sure your senior follows the doctor’s orders for treatment, such as wearing special shoes, using canes or walkers, participating in physical therapy and more.
8. If you notice swelling in the foot of your senior or he complains of pain after wearing his boot for an extended period of time, ask him to see a physician right away. You may need to contact someone else who is qualified to provide medical care for your senior if you feel it’s necessary. Make sure to document everything that happens when you monitor him closely in order to have proof if needed later on down the road.
How To Help Your Senior Drive With The Walking Boot
1. Get him a pair of special driving shoes.
2. Make sure that the walking boot is removed before you let him drive, and don’t replace it after he’s been driving for a while in case there are other injuries that need care.
3. Call yourself or your local senior health and injury center in case there are any other injuries that need care. You should be able to get a referral to the right care center for your senior’s particular needs.
4. Watch for signs of redness, swelling, or other side effects of wearing the boot as long as it has been on his foot.
5. If he gets a cut on his foot from the boot, watch it carefully and make sure bacteria doesn’t find its way into the deep layers of his skin and cause an infection to set in that could lead to serious problems later down the line if not treated.
6. Don’t try to give your senior any medications for pain, swelling, or redness in his foot after he has worn the walking boot for a while unless there is an emergency that requires it. These could conflict with the medication he’s been prescribed by his doctor. In fact, you should always avoid giving your senior any sort of over-the-counter medication unless they are very clearly directed by their doctor or podiatrist.
How To Make Sure That You Are Safe When Driving With Walking Boot
1. Make sure that your senior is wearing the boot correctly and not just the bandage over it, and there’s no way he can fall out of his seat.
2. Make sure that your senior can easily see the pedals and steering wheel so he doesn’t have to move his foot around if he has a boot on it. If you don’t, you could end up with injuries to yourself or other passengers that are unthinkable when driving with a walking boot on.
3. Don’t seem too concerned if they let you drive for a while before they say they’re ready to go again; in most situations, it will be better if they give themselves a little time off from driving after an injury or surgery is over with.
4. Inform your senior that he may need to use a walker or cane for a while after their injury is healed up, and if he doesn’t have one yet, you can help him get one.
So to summarize, if your senior wants to drive with a walking boot, you can help him as long as the boot is being worn correctly. You should still make sure that he doesn’t try to drive for a while after his injury or surgery. This is the best way to guarantee your safety when driving with a walking boot on.
You may also want to consider getting a pair of special driving shoes to wear instead of wearing his boot in the car. This will be especially important if he’s not able to drive for weeks after his injury or surgery.
Just because you’re anxious to get your senior out driving again does not mean that you should overlook his need for care and attention if he’s wearing a walking boot. Follow these tips so that your senior can continue to drive safely with the help of a walking boot on his foot.