Driving with dementia

[eleni52]

My partner has recently been diagnosed with "mixed" dementia. He is quite happy and alert at the moment and save for his short term memory loss, he's his normal self. He can remember everything from years ago, but has trouble remembering what he did yesterday! He is still driving, carefully and efficiently but is worrying about losing his licence. He has recently sent the requisite form to the DVLA. We are not sure what the procedure is from this stage.

Has anyone had to face this issue. Help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Izzy]

My husband just accepted it and stopped driving. I know that not everyone is like this. Perhaps these would be of help -

http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/download.php?fileID=1780

http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/download.php?fileID=729

 

[rajahh]

we have members who have been diagnosed with dementia and are still driving. So it is not automatic.

Jeannette

 

[jaymor]

My husband advised the DVLA of his diagnosis and they replaced his licence with one that lasted for 12 months. Each year he was assessed and his licence renewed for another 12 months. They allowed him to drive for a further 4 years. Many people manage longer because the disease progresses slower for them.

Jay

 

[eleni52]

Izzy, thank you so much for your response. I have printed out the contents of the two sites recommended by you. Things are much clearer now.

 

[eleni52]

Thank you Jay. Gives us hope !

 

[Yanni]

My husband is still driving four years after his diagnosis and I am becoming more concerned about his ability to do so. We no longer see the consultant and have an appointment every nine months at the local Memory Clinic. At these appointments they ask me if I think he's safe to drive and that is how the NHS will respond to the DVLA when they ask for an assessment of whether he's safe on the road. I find this less than satisfactory and my husband, while forgetting almost everything else he's been told, remembers this and says that if he's stopped driving, it will be my fault. Not sure what to do. He won't go for an assessment as he believes he's perfectly safe and has been driving since he was seventeen (55 years) Not sure where to go from here.

 

[Noorza]

My husband is still driving four years after his diagnosis and I am becoming more concerned about his ability to do so. We no longer see the consultant and have an appointment every nine months at the local Memory Clinic. At these appointments they ask me if I think he's safe to drive and that is how the NHS will respond to the DVLA when they ask for an assessment of whether he's safe on the road. I find this less than satisfactory and my husband, while forgetting almost everything else he's been told, remembers this and says that if he's stopped driving, it will be my fault. Not sure what to do. He won't go for an assessment as he believes he's perfectly safe and has been driving since he was seventeen (55 years) Not sure where to go from here.

Yanni I would report your own concerns to the DVLA and when they write to him blame them for snooping, interfering, getting involved when they have no business to but now they have written he'll have to have the assessment to keep on driving. Some call it lying, some call it acting I call it keeping him and others safe on the roads.

I spoke to an elderly lady at the weekend and she says she prays every time she gets in the car with her husband and how he'd put his foot on the accelerator rather than the brake on a bend, I drove past it today it was clear he went through a fence and into a ditch!

Report him, they will arrange for his ability to drive to be tested, then blame them, so he doesn't blame you. That way it's for his own good, he won't be happy to be mad at you so it's protecting him in my opinion anyway.

 

[LAP]

My partner has recently been diagnosed with "mixed" dementia. He is quite happy and alert at the moment and save for his short term memory loss, he's his normal self. He can remember everything from years ago, but has trouble remembering what he did yesterday! He is still driving, carefully and efficiently but is worrying about losing his licence. He has recently sent the requisite form to the DVLA. We are not sure what the procedure is from this stage.

Has anyone had to face this issue. Help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

My hubby was diagnosed with Alzheimers in February and as a result I advised the DVLA [which is of paramount importance] as you will see when you receive the documentation. If you do not you are liable to a fine of £1000. Your husband has obviously done this.
We informed the DVLA and as a result had to make an appointment to have a DRIVING ASSESSMENT. Much to the disgust of my husband who insisted he had been driving safely for all of his working life [ he was 71 at the time]. Consequently we had to attend a mobility assessment centre - had a physical with a nursing professional who by the way was wonderful with my husband and afterwards he had to drive one of their vehicles with her and a driving instructor in attendance. They were on the local roads and motorway for about an hour [ I was not allowed to go with them] and afterwards they discussed his driving capabilities with him whilst I was in the room. He was lucky that he passed and as a result the DVLA have given him a licence for 1 year only. I presume that the same system will apply next year when his licence runs out.
You must inform the DVLA AS IT IS A LEGAL REQUIREMENT. As it happens I had already looked at the website and with the added advantage of having a daughter who is a police officer I knew that we would have to prove that he was capable of driving.
It is very difficult admitting that your husband has alzheimers and having to explain to people the effects this illness has on his every day life. Again rather like your husband,
mine has short term memory loss but is unable to recognise the area that he has driven for 40 years and relies on me to tell him where to go. I wish you luck with the DVLA - it is not a quick process, but at least your husband will be able to drive in the meantime.

 

[LAP]

My husband is still driving four years after his diagnosis and I am becoming more concerned about his ability to do so. We no longer see the consultant and have an appointment every nine months at the local Memory Clinic. At these appointments they ask me if I think he's safe to drive and that is how the NHS will respond to the DVLA when they ask for an assessment of whether he's safe on the road. I find this less than satisfactory and my husband, while forgetting almost everything else he's been told, remembers this and says that if he's stopped driving, it will be my fault. Not sure what to do. He won't go for an assessment as he believes he's perfectly safe and has been driving since he was seventeen (55 years) Not sure where to go from here.

I do not think that this is the responsibility of the memory clinic to ask you whether you think your husband is capable of driving. Think about it. He could have an accident and harm himself - you - or someone else. I consider this to be most unsatisfactory. Why don't you inform the DVLA that you think that he should have an assessment.
They will write to him and ask him to make an appointment for a driving assessment at the nearest mobility centre. Legally he must do this and they will not mention that they have been contacted by you. OR you could make him an appointment at his local mobility centre yourself, explain to the member of staff your concerns and they will arrange an appointment for your husband. After all, we all need to be safe on the roads, your husband included. This assessment costs nothing.

 

[zeeeb]

I would also writ to the DLVA and make sure you put confidential, not to be discuess with "X".

He may well still blame you (as often happens anyway), but if you don't feel that he is safe, then you have obligations to others on the road, to do what you can to make the world a safer place.

And obligations to your husband to protect him, even if he doesn't like what that means.

What he thinks and what everyone else thinks on this matter will obviously differ, you already know what the right thing to do is.

Hopefully if he gets a letter from DLVA asking for him to take another driving assessment, you'll be able to step out of the firing line, just make sure you don't write the letter anywhere near the time he's due for a memory clinic appointment.