Clunk, click every trip

[northumbrian_k]

My wife is usually able to put on her seat belt before we start our journey, although sometimes gets confused and needs some help. Yesterday we were travelling in light traffic at about 60 mph when she decided to unbuckle her seat belt, to which I was alerted by a loud beeping noise. She didn’t seem to be able to clip it back in so I did it by feel with my left hand whilst still driving. Not a good idea but at least she didn’t try to get out of the car.

Such excitement I could do without.

It did make me wonder what would have happened if she had opened the door, and whether that would have been preferable to the current long, slow decline. It reminded me of the accidental death/murder of Aunt Fiona in Iain Banks' The Crow Road.

 

[canary]

Childproof locks?

 

[jugglingmum]

I have seen posts about seatbelt adaptations which are similar to childproof items.

Our car can be locked by pressing a button by the gearstick - but otherwise it would need to be a rear seat for kiddie locks I think and I guess your wife wouldn't accept this yet (and you might not want it)

 

[Banjomansmate]

The Banjoman actually opened the car door whilst out driving with his sister but thankfully he was still strapped in and she was able to pull over quickly. Apparently he was trying to open the. car window. After that everyone was warned to lock their car doors if they were driving him anywhere. He often struggled with even finding the seat belt locking stalk when in my car but occasionally could do it without even thinking about it! On one trip to see the Memory nurse he sat in my car and was strapped in before I got around to my own seat. On the way home he hadn’t got a clue even how to put the seat belt on! Dementia is really weird!

 

[LynneMcV]

It is difficult.

I remember the shock I felt the first time I was driving on the motorway up to Scotland and my husband suddenly started pressing buttons and turned on my hazard lights. He was looking for the air conditioning. He hadn't been diagnosed at that point but the process was underway.

By the time the next trip to Scotland came along, I was so anxious about him being in the front seat while I was motorway driving, that I had to sit him in the rear seats with my daughter. I am glad I did, because on that trip he suddenly took his seat belt off while I was doing nearly 70mph (because he felt uncomfortable). My daughter put it back on him.

After that I decided not to do any long trips unless I could have someone else in the rear of the car alongside him.

Thankfully, this wasn't something that became a problem on shorter, local trips, so I used to have him in the front with me when I took him shopping, to the day centre or local outings.

I think I would have stopped driving him around altogether if he'd started fiddling with seat belts and buttons on the shorter journeys. As it was he struggled to get in and out of the front seat which had lots of leg space for his 6ft 2ins frame - but it was almost impossible for him to get in and out of the rear ones.

 

[dogdayafternoon]

our car has a seat belt presenter that pushes the belt forwards to make it easier to get, this happens when the door is closed and the ignition is switched on, some days my wife is asking where is the belt before I have had the chance to switch on, when I remind her she say's "oh this is your car" we have had this car for four years and she still gets mixed up.

 

[LadyA]

There came a point when, from then on, I always had to put my husband's seat belt on, and release it for him. He just no longer knew how. These days, although she doesn't have dementia, I find myself having to remind my mum to put her belt on every time she gets in the car. My husband also opened the car door as I was driving once. Thankfully, I wasn't going fast, and the traffic wasn't heavy. After that, I just locked the doors when I got in. He didn't know how to open them. There was another time though that I thought the car felt a bit odd and thought there was a mechanical problem. It felt quite "jerky" as I was driving. Then I realised my husband was playing with the handbrake! So after that, my routine in the car was: fasten his seatbelt, lock the doors, cover the handbrake with my coat......! I also kept a couple of brightly coloured large cloths in the car, because he started having trouble getting in and out. He couldn't figure where to put his feet, because the dark floor (and the dark tarmac outside) looked like a long distance away. The cloths gave him sometime to aim at.

 

[Izzy]

I bought. a seatbelt clip/lock to use with my husband. I never got to test it as he died soon after. If you google you’ll see Amazon sells lots.

 

[Rolypoly]

Oh I remember it well...the beep, beep, beep of the alarm as mum had undone her seat belt whilst we hurtled along a main road. Guaranteed to get OH muttering and half climbing into the back trying to relocate the clip under an ample backside! Mother, of course, would be Miss Innocent .

 

[Tin]

Oh the seat belt!, remember this well and the stress and fear I got from it. Once my mum worked it out she continued to do it on almost every journey, so child locks on, in to back seat and eventually a child safe cover for the seat belt. Unfortunately mum's next step was to slip her arm and shoulder out of the belt.

 

[Helly68]

Some cars have central locking for the doors, usually in the driver's control section. I used to surreptitiously engage this every time Mummy was in the car at the stage where we still went out, as she had no concept of risk.