HealthDay (2/3, Norton) reports that a meta-analysis published online Jan. 19 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reviewed 16 prior studies and “found that seniors tended to show poorer health after they stopped driving – particularly in terms of depression.”
In addition to being twice as likely to experience depression after they stop driving, the review found that individuals “who gave up driving were also more likely to die over the next three to five years…even when researchers accounted for people’s initial health and mental sharpness.”
The study’s authors emphasized the need to balance “on a case-by-case basis” the physical and mental benefits that senior citizens receive from driving with the need to discourage driving by those who cannot do so safely.
Related Links:
— “When Seniors Stop Driving, Poorer Health May Be a Passenger,” Amy Norton, HealthDay, February 3, 2016.