It’s never an easy decision to retire the car keys, but with the right information the decision can become more clear.
You or your loved one may be at an elevated risk of having a traffic accident if advanced age, medical conditions, or a traumatic brain injury is negatively affecting driving skills and reaction time.
Forcing someone to give up their keys rarely works. It can lead to resentment, communication failures, and in many cases the person will continue unsafe driving putting everyone at risk.
With the Gray Matters Alliance Drive Safe Program and resources you get the help you need to educate the driver and family, and make informed decisions together.
Safe Driving
Continuing Education
Safe Senior Driver Program
The Gray Matters Alliance Safe Senior Driver Program is unique from other driving retirement programs. With GMA’s Safe Senior Driver Program, the older driver directly participates in the decision that will ultimately affect them and the future of their driving.
​GMA’s program is tailored to serve as an invaluable tool in helping older drivers and their families make appropriate decisions regarding their specific driving situation.
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Our certified driving professional facilitates a self-assessment program in a non-intimidating, informal way, in the driver’s own home. This keeps the driver and family as comfortable and relaxed as possible. Driving tests are also performed in the driver’s own vehicle on their usual routes.
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Most importantly, GMA does NOT take the license or keys away, report to the DMV, or call the police. The driver can confidently know this program is to help them, not to punish them.
We have found when a senior is directly involved in the decision to retire from driving, as opposed to being “told” to retire, the outcomes are much better for everyone.
This program is also available for individuals with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), to determine if they are still safe to drive after an accident or life changing event. Helping the individual and their family determine if driving cessation is necessary, or whether additional safety training could help.
We do NOT make you come to an unfamiliar location to drive on unfamiliar roads, in an unfamiliar vehicle, or worse, on a simulator, all of which only add stress and anxiety
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We do NOT take the license or keys away, report to the DMV or call the police
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We do NOT treat your loved one as a “patient” but rather an individual who deserves respect and dignity in what is probably the most disruptive, traumatic time in their lives
Is GMA's Safe Senior Driver Program right for your family member?
If you answer yes to any of the following, GMA’s Safe Senior Driver Program is a great solution for you!
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Are you worried about your senior parent’s (mom or dad’s) driving?
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Have they been in an accident recently?
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Have they been getting pulled over by the police?
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Has the doctor suggested your loved one shouldn’t drive anymore?
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Do they have health issues that may have a direct effect on driving capabilities?
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Do you live out of town and aren’t sure if they are still driving satisfactorily?
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Is talking about retiring from driving a touchy subject with your loved one?
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Would you like your loved one to continue driving safely as long as they can, and monitor their progress as they age?
Safe Driving Family Empowerment Program
GMA’s Family Empowerment Program is ideal for families who want to discuss driving retirement with their loved one on their own, but would appreciate direction, support, and encouragement. We help families avoid common pitfalls when convincing a loved-one to stop driving.
Offered as an in-person class, virtual class, or a personalized in-home session - the GMA Family Empowerment program ranges from 1-2 hours in length, and is offered in various locations, including personal residences and virtually.
These classes are conducted without the driver present and are instructed by a certified driving professional.
The instructor takes the family through the methodology our evaluators use when performing Safe Driver Assessments in the loved-one’s home, which ultimately gets us to the advised recommendations. We listen to the family’s concerns and answer questions about their loved-one’s driving abilities.
This program is designed to teach you how to determine skills and safety based on facts, not opinions; void of emotions and family dynamics. The instructor will teach you how to go through the steps to perform your own self-assessment with your loved-one, and will help you come up with alternate transportation options when needed.
Our goal is to help the family members who have the responsibility of “being the bad guys,” to discuss driving retirement in a manner that allows the driver to retire with dignity. The class helps families present a united front to the driver, while helping the driver maintain as much independence as possible.
Safe Driving Family Empowerment Program Objectives
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Learn the same methodology our certified driving professionals use in our in-home assessments to get to the final determination
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Get your family on the same page BEFORE you talk to the driver
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Discover how to separate emotions and opinions from facts and skills
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Learn to overcome the most common objections to driving retirement
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Uncover how to avoid rebellious behavior (our loved-ones can be surprisingly resourceful)
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Learn to help your loved-one retire from driving without social isolation, depression, or sickness
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Discover the best time to have the talk
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Learn what behavior and signs to look for
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Pre-plan driving retirement to avoid future issues
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Cover alternate transportation options that don’t burden the family
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What to do if all else fails
GMA Presentation
A Safe Drive Through the Aging Process
Developed specifically for senior drivers, this 1-hour presentation for your group or organization can best be described as a practical, entertaining, and realistic approach to the issue of "Senior Drivers versus the Aging Process."
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GMA’s “A Safe Drive Through the Aging Process” is designed to increase awareness concerning the onset of diminishing driving skills related to the aging process. The presentation takes a direct, yet compassionate, approach to the sensitive subject of retiring your keys and driving independence.
The ultimate goal is not to take away driving opportunities of senior drivers, but rather to offer suggestions on how to recognize and compensate for diminishing skills so seniors may remain on the roadways as safe drivers.
GMA Presentation
Adults with Aging Parent Drivers
In this presentation we provide a roadmap to help families address the issue with tact, compassion, and empathy, so the older driver’s dignity and independence is never unnecessarily jeopardized.
This presentation was designed for family members, caregivers, and loved-ones of senior drivers. The 1-hour “Adults with Aging Parent Drivers” presentation was developed to help the baby-boomer generation when they become concerned about driving safely as a result of the natural aging process.
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Continuing Education
Bringing a Peaceful Resolution to Complex & Sensitive Senior Driving Issues
GMA’s “Bringing Peaceful Resolution to Complex and Sensitive Senior Driving Issues” course for continuing education credits will provide you with the ability to identify areas of concern involving senior drivers. It will help you assist in the development of attainable lifestyle changes for the older driver that will help keep the driver safe.
You will receive early intervention tools that will help you identify signs of decline in the senior driver. We will also provide methods to intercede or provide direction to concerned family members, all with minimal deterioration to the individual’s self-worth and personal independence.
Continuing Education
Driving Under the Influence of Dementia
Learn how dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease can have an adverse effect on critical brain functions and driving abilities.
Students in GMA’s “Driving Under the Influence of Dementia” Continuing Education course will gain a further understanding of the role memory and executive functioning play in safe driving.
The course will also discuss recent research projects related to the issue of driving with dementia and will offer possible solutions for helping a driver with dementia maintain their independence after retiring their keys.