Hi, very new to all of this- my mum has been referred to a memory clinic next week as my sister and I (we both live over 3 hours away from her) had noticed she wasn't herself and is very confused and muddled. We have found a great lady who helps with household jobs, shopping etc which seems to be working and she is already in sheltered housing but Mother is insistent that she can still drive, albeit just within her village. I understand by law we have to inform DVLA (if she gets a dementia diagnosis at the clinic) but when we broach the subject of her car with Mother, she gets cross, upset and angry which is so unlike her. Any thoughts on how to deal with probably stopping her driving as we are sure she is unsafe? She's 83, been driving all her life and has a top of the range newish small car!! Finding it hard to deal with everything, especially from a distance as the mother I love is disappearing before my eyes.....also what happens at the memory clinic-I shall be taking Mother.
Driving, dementia and memory clinics
- Thread starter Maddcow
- Start date
Hi, and welcome. I'm sure you'll find TP as helpful as I have. I was lucky in that my wife realised herself that she was no longer fit to drive, after a couple of arguments with very hard stone walls. She was about 80 at the time; no harm done but a wake up call. Whatever transpires with the memory clinic, hopefully not too drastic, maybe time has come to put the car out of action?
keep smiling,
malomm
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Talking Point mobile app
keep smiling,
malomm
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Talking Point mobile app
Not certain, but would her GP inform the DVLA? That way, you can say in all honesty that you weren't involved. Also, perhaps your mother's anger could be channeled to the DVLA, instead of you and your sister.
I had the same problem with my mum. We tried for 2 years to get her to stop. I went to her GP and he said he'd 'have a word with her' (he did nothing ). Or I could shop her to DVLA. It took an accident, her car being written off, and the police saying she shouldn't be driving to stop her. Thankfully no one was hurt but it could have been so much worse. She stills says it wasn't her fault, and she's still allowed to drive and regularly threatens to buy a car! If I was in that position again I would phone DVLA.
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Driving and Dementia....memory clinic?
I am new on here also!
We knew something was not "right" with Dad especially his driving, it was getting more and more dangerous, but difficult for Mum to say anything to him about it. I mentioned it to the doctor who said that she had tried to tell him not to drive. Then she said that once he had an official diagnosis (in a few weeks from then) she would be duty bound to inform the DVLA.
We presume that is what she did because he got a letter to go along for an assessment and meeting and was officially told that because of his diagnosis he was no longer permitted to drive. Thank goodness because it just wasn't safe at least it was stopped before something dreadful happened! The car is now in a local garage for sale. It is best that it was out of sight quickly so as not to upset or confuse him. He doesn't mention it now and accepts Mum driving him, and at some point I will take over that role.
Can someone please let me know what a memory clinic is and how someone is referred to one, by whom and at what stage and why?
Thanks
I am new on here also!
We knew something was not "right" with Dad especially his driving, it was getting more and more dangerous, but difficult for Mum to say anything to him about it. I mentioned it to the doctor who said that she had tried to tell him not to drive. Then she said that once he had an official diagnosis (in a few weeks from then) she would be duty bound to inform the DVLA.
We presume that is what she did because he got a letter to go along for an assessment and meeting and was officially told that because of his diagnosis he was no longer permitted to drive. Thank goodness because it just wasn't safe at least it was stopped before something dreadful happened! The car is now in a local garage for sale. It is best that it was out of sight quickly so as not to upset or confuse him. He doesn't mention it now and accepts Mum driving him, and at some point I will take over that role.
Can someone please let me know what a memory clinic is and how someone is referred to one, by whom and at what stage and why?
Thanks
Memory clinic
Usually family members begin to notice there is a problem with their loved one and their first point of contact is with the GP. The patient is usually referred to the memory clinic by their GP. The staff there were wonderful as they're all trained professionals and therefore fully understand the patient and the difficulties. In the first instance they assess the person with conversation and specially designed questions. They were very, VERY nice and had a lovely way towards my relative and also very pleasant with me. At this first appointment a drug was prescribed which won't cure AD but is said to slow down the symptoms of the disease. Following that, they make all the arrangements for help with care, allowances, legal matters, social services and sources of advice eg. The Alzheimers Society.
After that initial assessment, we returned some months later to check there were no ill effects from the medication.
Each year we return for a short appointment so that the progression of the disease can be monitored and further med prescriptions given.
I hope this helps.
Usually family members begin to notice there is a problem with their loved one and their first point of contact is with the GP. The patient is usually referred to the memory clinic by their GP. The staff there were wonderful as they're all trained professionals and therefore fully understand the patient and the difficulties. In the first instance they assess the person with conversation and specially designed questions. They were very, VERY nice and had a lovely way towards my relative and also very pleasant with me. At this first appointment a drug was prescribed which won't cure AD but is said to slow down the symptoms of the disease. Following that, they make all the arrangements for help with care, allowances, legal matters, social services and sources of advice eg. The Alzheimers Society.
After that initial assessment, we returned some months later to check there were no ill effects from the medication.
Each year we return for a short appointment so that the progression of the disease can be monitored and further med prescriptions given.
I hope this helps.
Last edited:
Memory Clinic
Hi Just Thinking
I'm glad your memory clinic did all that, but I think that's the exception, not the rule. They will try to work out what, if anything, is wrong with your relative or friend, but they are medical professionals. All the extra stuff about legal/finiance/benefits/social services - that wasn't my experience. You have to sort that all out for yourself.
Alzheimer's Society or Age UK may help. There aught to be a check list for people to work through (can someone point to one?), but I don't think many memory clinics will do any of that for you.
All the best
Robin
Hi Just Thinking
I'm glad your memory clinic did all that, but I think that's the exception, not the rule. They will try to work out what, if anything, is wrong with your relative or friend, but they are medical professionals. All the extra stuff about legal/finiance/benefits/social services - that wasn't my experience. You have to sort that all out for yourself.
Alzheimer's Society or Age UK may help. There aught to be a check list for people to work through (can someone point to one?), but I don't think many memory clinics will do any of that for you.
All the best
Robin
RobinH that was our experience too. The memory service did have links to other professionals eg OT, physio so could refer on but everything else was down to us.
Hi.....been through the driving/car nightmare......in short FIL was advised by his GP and COE consultant not to drive as he was medically unfit due to dementia. They told him he had to inform the DVLA. FIL really kicked off at this....said he would risk it.....so I am afraid we disabled his car! If you are advised not to drive...then your insurance is invalid unless you inform the DVLA. My understanding is that if an individual is unwilling to notify the DVLA then the medical practitioner should but GP wouldn't in FIL's case (his argument was he has been told not to drive.....his problem....mine was that he has a cognitive impairment....he thinks he is fine!).
Anyway we took the bull by the horns and sent the consultants letter to the DVLA...you can also contact them https://emaildvla.direct.gov.uk/emaildvla/cegemail/dvla/en/drivers_med_03.html .
FIL has been off the road 18 months, and he complains every single day to me that he is fine to drive! He had only done 3k miles in the 4 years he had had the car. He refuses to use community transport or taxis....think he thinks if he digs his heals in enough they will give him his driving licence back. We have only just sold his car!
We did get him a mobility scooter (top of the range job....like the car he had!) which he complains about but uses every day! As his condition has progressed and his mobility is worse....this is the better option as he can park next to the shop front doors and not struggle from the road side or disabled bay. We have insured him though!
Best of luck at the memory clinic.
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Hi,
I am also a newbie and recently posted elsewhere regarding my husband and his complicated illnesses.
We are now going through the assessment for his driving licence which involves an interview and testing by an Occupational therapist and then an on road assessment. I don't believe that he is fit to drive but at the moment it is not my call so I can only keep my fingers crossed. He will be distraught if he loses it like every one else in his situation.
The assessment at the memory clinic was the last in a long series of investigations and tests. His geriatrician referred him there and apart from an initial interview at home, he then underwent a lengthy and comprehensive testing procedure conducted by a highly qualified neuropsychologist. His diagnosis of AD was made on all the evidence that had been obtained through this process and I have to say that I feel a whole lot more comfortable with the diagnosis knowing how exhaustive it has been. That was my first experience of such a place and I have to say that they were extremely kind and caring to both os us.
i do hope that it all goes well for you.
I am also a newbie and recently posted elsewhere regarding my husband and his complicated illnesses.
We are now going through the assessment for his driving licence which involves an interview and testing by an Occupational therapist and then an on road assessment. I don't believe that he is fit to drive but at the moment it is not my call so I can only keep my fingers crossed. He will be distraught if he loses it like every one else in his situation.
The assessment at the memory clinic was the last in a long series of investigations and tests. His geriatrician referred him there and apart from an initial interview at home, he then underwent a lengthy and comprehensive testing procedure conducted by a highly qualified neuropsychologist. His diagnosis of AD was made on all the evidence that had been obtained through this process and I have to say that I feel a whole lot more comfortable with the diagnosis knowing how exhaustive it has been. That was my first experience of such a place and I have to say that they were extremely kind and caring to both os us.
i do hope that it all goes well for you.
since 1935 all drivers in the U.K are required to take a driving test pass the test and you are deemed by law to a competent driver , if a person is diagnosed with dementia the law says they must be deemed competent to drive , now the only way with would know is if that person takes a driving assessment similar to the driving test , if they pass no problem they are GOOD DRIVERS , because the examiners have a big responsibility when passing a person with dementia fit to drive could be their careers on the line if they are wrong
Correct: doctors have a responsibility to notify DVLA if the patient won't.
But it's commonplace for them to shirk that and land you with it instead.
e.g. previous posting http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?42939&p=568858&viewfull=1#post568858
How long
Just wondering if anyone can tell me how long it takes for the results to come back for the brain scan on the vessels and what will happen next
Just wondering if anyone can tell me how long it takes for the results to come back for the brain scan on the vessels and what will happen next
Newly Diagnosed with Alzheimers
My husband was diagnosed three weeks ago with Alzheimers it took a year for them to tell us. He had a brain scan, colonscopy, endoscopy, B12 injections and a visiti to a Nurologist who sent him to a Cerabal Function Unit. They ran memory tests and blood tests and studied the scan and came up with Alzheimers he also attends a clinic at another hospital that deals with mental health problems. He is going to try the tablets that will slow the memory problems down waiting for an appointment for this. He has problems with speech and his memory is poor but the Alzheimers is early stages.
Has anybody had any luck with these tablets im concerned about side affects.
My husband was diagnosed three weeks ago with Alzheimers it took a year for them to tell us. He had a brain scan, colonscopy, endoscopy, B12 injections and a visiti to a Nurologist who sent him to a Cerabal Function Unit. They ran memory tests and blood tests and studied the scan and came up with Alzheimers he also attends a clinic at another hospital that deals with mental health problems. He is going to try the tablets that will slow the memory problems down waiting for an appointment for this. He has problems with speech and his memory is poor but the Alzheimers is early stages.
Has anybody had any luck with these tablets im concerned about side affects.
My husband was diagnosed 4 years ago with altzimers and we had a battle to get aricept told he was to young at sixty it really helped at first but after three years he's getting worse it did have side effects ,nightmares so he takes it in a morning which works
Sorry to be misleading. I didn't mean they actually do it all for you. I meant they made me aware of these things and gave me all the info and contact details. I'd never had any kind of contact with social services etc and really had no idea where to start so the clinic staff were a godsend.
Hi,
My husband was diagnosed 8th July this year and his geriatrician put him Aricept 5mgs initially then to go to 10mgs. His cardiologist is happy with that and the results have so far been favourable. He is calmer and less aggressive than he was but it is hard to know if that is a result of the medication or if having been given a diagnosis has had some impact. Could be a combination of both.
He is still in denial. He talks about having a 'little bit of Alzheimer's' but won't tell anyone in his social circle (though theyare probably suspicious anyway.)
Try it ans see if it helps. I don't think you have much to lose.
My husband was diagnosed 8th July this year and his geriatrician put him Aricept 5mgs initially then to go to 10mgs. His cardiologist is happy with that and the results have so far been favourable. He is calmer and less aggressive than he was but it is hard to know if that is a result of the medication or if having been given a diagnosis has had some impact. Could be a combination of both.
He is still in denial. He talks about having a 'little bit of Alzheimer's' but won't tell anyone in his social circle (though theyare probably suspicious anyway.)
Try it ans see if it helps. I don't think you have much to lose.
Hi Maddcow - and welcome.
Yes - the driving topic comes up on here on a regular basis. I have had two experiences with it. Firstly, my FIL - we were concerned about his driving especially as he had been diagnosed with AD but was still driving, forgetting where he had parked it etc. As he had been a mechanic he was continually fiddling with making it undriveable until it was taken to the garage for a "proper' repairs. When we approached his GP he told us that had forbidden FIL to drive 2 years before
He hadn't told the family, and MIL didn't go to appointments with him, and of course he had forgotten to tell anyone. We told him he was NOT to drive anymore, and he took it reasonably well, but often went to get in the driver's seat.
Secondly, my husband was told not to drive after his diagnosis and boy - did that cause a ruckus! He suffered a stroke not long after this, and as a result the authorities became involved and came to claim his license after he had failed miserably in the questionnaire and road test by the examiner. He complained bitterly about the "stupid, unqualified, inept idiot" that had done the tests, but eventually seems to have accepted me having to do the driving. Telling him that things like the Memory Clinic and the like are follow-ups from his stroke are accepted, but they aren't if I forget and say they are for AD!
Good luck with your Mum. Can you be sneaky and disable the car temporarily and have to 'take it to the garage'. She may come to the realisation it is for her own good. Another angle is the one where you explain she would have no insurance if she were to have an accident.
Keep smiling
Yes - the driving topic comes up on here on a regular basis. I have had two experiences with it. Firstly, my FIL - we were concerned about his driving especially as he had been diagnosed with AD but was still driving, forgetting where he had parked it etc. As he had been a mechanic he was continually fiddling with making it undriveable until it was taken to the garage for a "proper' repairs. When we approached his GP he told us that had forbidden FIL to drive 2 years before
He hadn't told the family, and MIL didn't go to appointments with him, and of course he had forgotten to tell anyone. We told him he was NOT to drive anymore, and he took it reasonably well, but often went to get in the driver's seat.Secondly, my husband was told not to drive after his diagnosis and boy - did that cause a ruckus! He suffered a stroke not long after this, and as a result the authorities became involved and came to claim his license after he had failed miserably in the questionnaire and road test by the examiner. He complained bitterly about the "stupid, unqualified, inept idiot" that had done the tests, but eventually seems to have accepted me having to do the driving. Telling him that things like the Memory Clinic and the like are follow-ups from his stroke are accepted, but they aren't if I forget and say they are for AD!
Good luck with your Mum. Can you be sneaky and disable the car temporarily and have to 'take it to the garage'. She may come to the realisation it is for her own good. Another angle is the one where you explain she would have no insurance if she were to have an accident.
Keep smiling
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