Denial & Driving

[Libran75]

Hi,
My dad is a very young 78 year old man who was working up until a few months ago. Over last couple of years we noticed that he was struggling with remembering dates, being able to follow a calendar or diary etc. This got worse although he managed to get by and could mask a lot of his difficulties as he has alway had family support via his daughters. Recently he was diagnosed with a blood clot on his heart and whilst in hospital they did a head scan and gave the preliminary diagnosis of Vascular Dementia. We have been to the Memory clinic and are due to have a follow up this week when we should get the final diagnosis. One of the problems is my dad is very much in denial, says he feels fine, doesn’t have a problem with his memory, doesn’t know why people keep mentioning Dementia etc. He hasn’t driven since prelimary diagnosis as this was advised by the hospital. He is very frustrated about not driving and does not understand why it might not be a good idea to drive. He tells little fibs too which I think is his way of just providing an answer to a question which he hasn’t been able to follow. He doesn’t have a partner so relies on his 3 daughters to look after him. The whole thing is very sad, and we are fearful of the future and losing our dad to this disease. Although from his point of view there is no problem!

 

[karaokePete]

Hello @Libran75 you are welcome here and I hope you find the forum to be a friendly and supportive place.

I hope you have time to take a good look around the site as it is a goldmine for information. When I first joined I read old threads for information but then found the AS Publications list and the page where a post code search can be done to check for support services in ones own area. If you are interested in these, clicking the following links will take you there

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-support/publications-factsheets-full-list

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/find-support-near-you

You will see that there are Factsheets that will help with things like getting care needs assessments, deciding the level of care required and sorting out useful things like Wills, Power of Attorney etc., if any of that hasn't already been done. There is also a Dementia Guide in the list.

Now that you have found us I hope you will keep posting as the membership has vast collective knowledge and experience.

 

[karaokePete]

Driving is a common issue after a diagnosis. An important point is that the DVLA and insurers both have to be advised of the diagnosis.

The big issue can be a slowing of the thought process and reactions which can make a person a danger to others even when they can still manage the basics of driving.

I know some members have had to hide and then sell the car to put it out of a persons thoughts.

There is a specific Society Factsheet about the issue and you can read that if you click the 2nd line of the following link
Driving and dementia (439)
PDF printable version

 

[Libran75]

Driving is a common issue after a diagnosis. An important point is that the DVLA and insurers both have to be advised of the diagnosis.

The big issue can be a slowing of the thought process and reactions which can make a person a danger to others even when they can still manage the basics of driving.

I know some members have had to hide and then sell the car to put it out of a persons thoughts.

There is a specific Society Factsheet about the issue and you can read that if you click the 2nd line of the following link
Driving and dementia (439)
PDF printable version

Thank you, the worksheet was helpful.