Knowing when dementia and driving do not mix

The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. and the MIT AgeLab have developed this guide to help people with dementia and their families prolong independence while encouraging safe driving. This guide provides suggestions for monitoring, limiting, and stopping driving. The information incorporates the experiences of family caregivers and people with dementia, as well as suggestions from experts in medicine, gerontology and transportation.

Click here to a link to it

Driving requires good judgment, quick reaction times and
split-second decision making, all qualities that are affected by
Alzheimer's. Families often struggle with the decision to limit or
stop the driving of a loved one suffering from the illness, but the
reality is that, for a person with Alzheimer's, driving becomes
difficult and unsafe.

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Allowing a loved one to drive in this confused state
could leave them lost and in a bad situation they may not be able
to get themselves out of.

Click here to see what might happen to your loved one
If your loved one is not obeying traffic signals, driving an
inappropriate speeds, hitting curbs, confusing the brake and gas
pedals or swerving back and forth between lanes, they are a danger
not only to themselves, but to others on the road and should not
continue to drive. It's likely that your loved one will become
angry and upset when you approach them about not continuing to
drive. They'll feel as though their independence and dignity is
being taken away and will be reluctant to rely on others for
transportation. It's essential that you remain sensitive but firm,
hearing your loved one out but insisting that they no longer
operate an automobile.

In some cases, you'll discover that your loved one is continuing to
drive even though they promised they would not. To prevent them
from injury themselves or others, there are several ways in which
you can limit their driving. First of all, speak to your loved
ones doctor and ask them to write a "do not drive" prescription and
send it to the Department of Motor Vehicles and show it to your
loved one.

Control access to their car by holding on to their keys, parking it
on another block or in the driveway of someone you know. If your
loved one continues to drive, despite the fact that they no longer
have a legal license, you may need to disable the vehicle by
removing the battery or distributor cap.

Taking away the driving privileges of an Alzheimer's patient is an
exhausting process that could leave your loved one feeling like
they've lost their freedom and family members feeling guilty for
taking that freedom away. It's important to be sensitive to your
loved ones needs and arrange for other modes of transportation so
they can continue to go about their daily routines.

Above all, Alzheimer's patients tend to mourn for their
independence and feel useless relying on others to do the things
that they used to do for themselves. Maintaining a relatively
normal schedule can offer stability and a strong sense of
self-satisfaction, for both you and your loved one.

Until next tme

Brian Willie

Elderlaw attorney