Driving a car

[Olivia15]

Does anyone have experience of someone with dementia continuing to drive? I read an article about it today and was trying to work out where the line is

 

[rhubarbtree]

Hi Olivia,

Not sure if there is a line. Memory Clinic said OH had to report to DVLA but they would not block him driving because I said I thought he was OK. He has a one year licence which will need to be reviewed. I got the impression they would act upon my opinion. At present he is a much more confident driver than me. However, I would not allow/encourage him to do long distances or stressful drives.

 

[Beate]

You have to notify the DVLA on diagnosis and are only allowed to continue driving if they deem you capable enough. This could be established with a driving test. Unfortunately, they are often slow to react and the PWD always thinks they are still ok to drive. If your instinct tells you they are not, try with all means to discourage them from doing so. Disable the car if necessary.

 

[jasmineflower]

My FiL continues to drive. Mechanically he is still a good driver, but we live in fear that he will make a wrong turn into a dual carriageway or similar. We are awaiting an appointment at the memory clinic to get a formal diagnosis. Luckily his license was due for renewal in Jan and although he tried to complete the form himself he couldn't do it, so my husband made sure it was filled in correctly and honestly. The DVLA are waiting for a medical report now. Also, one of his Irish relatives said the GP had to see him first (I think the system is different there) so we used that as the excuse to see his GP and get the ball rolling on a diagnosis.

My FiL is currently waiting for an operation next week and is on strong painkillers and we are currently using that as a reason why he mustn't drive. I guess he won't be able to drive for a few weeks after the op anyway and then we have the clinic appt. you have to be a bit creative.

 

[Hermes]

Where to find help

Hello
There are 2 threads about driving and I hope this information will help
In the UK visit www.mobility-centres.org.uk
There are 17 centres around the country (with satellite branches) that can provide driving assessments. You will normally have to pay £80 upwards for a driving assessment and you will get a report which can be sent to the DVLA to support the person to continue driving or they can be the 'bad guys' for you and tell the driver that it's time to stop if their driving is considered to be unsafe.

Another web site for resources is an American site so you need to reverse the left/right information. www.thehartford.com. They have a number of downloads and the one Safe Driving 'At the Crossroads' on page 11 has a check list 'Warning signs for drivers with Dementia'.
I hope this is useful.
Start the driving cessation conversation early and plan ahead so it does not come as a devastating blow when the driver is told to stop.

Hermes

 

[Suzanna1969]

I remember somebody posting here some time ago that they refused to get into the car if their OH, who had dementia, insisted on driving. I think that is a pretty good indicator that someone should not be driving a moment longer.

However hard it is to take that person's freedom and independence away it should not be shirked. After all, you're effectively allowing that person access to a lethal weapon.

So I guess I would answer your question by asking you - would you allow your grandchildren (if you have them) to travel with him with no other adult in the car? If the answer is no then the line has been crossed.

 

[Bod]

Contact your local road safety office, ask if they do older driver assessments.
That way an independant person makes the decision regarding safe or not driving.

Bod

 

[Olivia15]

Thanks for sharing your experiences and advice!

I think it's a really tricky issue which needs to be given more air time personally!

 

[Lawson58]

A year before OH was diagnosed with AD, I insisted on driving if we were going somewhere in the car. He frightened the daylights out of me in the car and I reported him to our local licensing authority. They sent a form that was to be completed by our GP which I thought was inappropriate as he could not have any idea of OH's driving skills or lack of them.

However, when the geriatrician made the diagnosis of AD, it was mandatory for him to make the report which resulted in a more thorough assessment at which time OH lost his licence. He couldn't blame me in any way which was great but he always tells people that he isn't allowed to drive because of his heart condition, never mentions AD.

 

[Kevinl]

I think it's a really tricky issue which needs to be given more air time personally!

It has, to be fair given a lot of "air time" on here, possibly one of the most thread starters I've seen.
Depriving someone of their car so; their independence, the ability to go to the shops, see friends, go to social events and all the rest is a big step when for maybe 50 years having a car is a bit like having a right arm, you'd miss it if it went after 50 years.
You can "grass them up" (as we say round here) to the DVLA or impersonally or via the doctors, but the issues is if they still have the car and the keys then they'll just keep driving, be it with an invalid licence and probably invalid insurance as they've failed to disclose.
You can disable the car, take it away for repairs and it never comes back, no parts or whatever and you know what a new car costs...You could ask the local police to come and tell him he can't drive any longer (if they have any time to spare) any number of things really.
Ultimately anyone with AZ lives in their own world and if you're telling something that they see as "wrong" then they simply don't believe you.
I've seen this topic so many times but each person has to handle it in the way that works for them. I don't want to share the roads with someone with AZ and you can't go a week in the papers where some "elderly person" hasn't smashed through the window of a shop or a worse.
Probably this an issue that need addressing but how would you frame the law?
K

 

[Olivia15]

Kevinl, you raise a very good point - I meant that the issue needs more air time in the general public as most simply receive the scare-mongering 'person with AD crashes into x y or z' which isn't helpful to either the person living with dementia or the people taking care of them.

One of my granny's friends still continued to drive for years after she was diagnosed and very much refused to give up.. it's definitely hard to work out how to persuade someone to stop driving without them feeling like you're taking away their independence.

 

[chick1962]

My husband ( mixed dementia ) still drives but has a driving assessment every year . He passes with zero faults However if I was concerned about his driving I would notify the DVAL straight away and disable the car . Many ppl with early onset are still capable of driving xxx


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[MaggieLou]

My father's doctor required him to have a driving evaluation, which he (unfortunately) passed. I think she may want the examination repeated every 6 months, which he will have to pay for, so I'm not sure how long that will go on for (although if he refuses his license will be revoked). He was told by the doctor not to drive at night and within a certain distance of his home, he is still driving normally, albeit with a GPS stuck smack in the middle of the windscreen. When I went to visit him over the holidays I refused to let him drive with my daughter in the car. Unfortunately on one occasion this resulted in him refusing to get out of the drivers seat and us taking a taxi home from a Christmas party.

 

[Risa]

It has, to be fair given a lot of "air time" on here, possibly
I've seen this topic so many times but each person has to handle it in the way that works for them. I don't want to share the roads with someone with AZ and you can't go a week in the papers where some "elderly person" hasn't smashed through the window of a shop or a worse.
Probably this an issue that need addressing but how would you frame the law?
K

That's an issue that I find puzzling. There doesn't seem to be any 'group' responsible for dealing with drivers diagnosed with AZ. When my mother was diagnosed with severe dementia last year, no-one asked if she was driving yet she still holds a valid license. Luckily she hasn't shown any interest in driving for a while and as a family, no way would we allow her to drive but it still surprised me that it wasn't raised as so many people drive now, it's probably easier to assume everyone has a driving license!

I can understand no-one wants to stigmatise either older drivers or those with AD who are fully capable of driving safely but it seems very wrong to leave it to the family (if there is one) to lay down the law. In my view AS should be at the forefront of finding a solution to this issue as it's only going to get worse as the retirement age becomes further away and more 'elderly' drivers will be on the road commuting to and from work.

 

[Missy]

I guess we were lucky then with my FIL who had become a hazard. He was unable to do the insurance himself and left it to me and I just said it had been refused. And that if he drove he might be in trouble with the police. .