What's the score with driving after a diagnosis?

[sparky023]

My Dad was diagnosed with vascular dementia 3 weeks ago. He's at home, with carers visiting twice a day. He was in hospital for almost 6 weeks before this, and was driving his car up to his admission to hospital.

We know he is not allowed to drive on the days he has his dialysis. That's crystal clear and dad understands that. But when I asked hospital consultants about dad driving, and I've spoken to the DVLA, they couldn't give me a clear answer.

We were having concerns about dad driving before he went into hospital. No accidents thankfully but he was getting more confused and forgetful and his concentration was starting to slip. I have his car keys, and his car is parked inside his garage.

The DVLA told me that Dad has to offer his license back to them, surrender it. Which he's not likely to do, because he isn't aware of his condition. They told me he could ask them for a driving assessment, which to be honest I wouldn't want him to go through if he's not likely to pass it anyway.

What am I supposed to do? People have advised me to sell his car. He's not that far into his dementia so I cannot do that without him agreeing with me! We have an appointment with a doctor at the memory clinic in a couple of weeks, so I'm hoping we can get clarification from the doctor.

Any advice?

 

[onlyme1]

hi, when the psychiatrist diagnosed my dad with alzheimers he advised us he shouldn't drive and would be getting a letter from the dvla which arrived fairly soon, confirming he had to return his license. the only choice he had was whether to take a special driving test at leeds. we persuaded him not to take the test and that was that. before diagnosis I was very concerned and used to 'borrow' his car to stop him using it. how come your dad doesn't know about the dementia? x

 

[Lawson58]

OH was required to complete a driving assessment after being diagnosed with AD.

He failed it completely and lost his licence. The Local Licensing Authority here were the ones who told him that he was no longer allowed to drive which meant that he couldn't blame me and that he had no choice but to accept. Prior to that, any reference to his lack of driving ability on my part resulted in abuse so it finally let me off the hook. So don't be afraid of having assessed him in that way as it could be a way of making things safer for everybody which should be your main concern. His personal feelings have to take a back seat in this matter.

 

[Kevinl]

my best advise would be to ask if his insurance is still valid too, he has to discloses any medical conditions to them as well as the DVLA so it may be that he's driving with no insurance too.
A car in has to be continuously; insured, taxed and have an MOT even it's off the road and in a garage, fines for this will come in the post automatically generated so you may have to go to the DVLA site and do a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) to avoid this happening.
The best thing to do would be put the car in the garage, do a SORN with the DVLA and remove the ignition fuse from the fuse box so the car won't start, then tell him it's broken and give him the keys so he can try it (possibly).
Whilst you're waiting for the "spare parts" to arrive hopefully he'll forget about it, If it's a particularly expensive car then having it taken away for repairs may be the next step and it's beyond repair then sell it, if it's low value leave it in the garage.
Check his car insurance company don't auto renew the policy or you'll be paying for something you don't need a most companies do this these days.
You may not get too much help from the memory clinic, they're there for the medical side of things issues like; driving, benefits and help available are social issues more than medical issues, they may say he's unfit to drive and can pass this on to the DVLA but this site is full of stories of people who aren't allowed to drive but still do so.
You might get a "clear" answer from the memory clinic but you already know what the answer is, when you say "No accidents thankfully" is that him or the people he may run over?
On the plus side if he's accepted he can't drive when he's having dialysis then with some pre-warning the memory clinic consultant might be able to make it clear to him he can't drive while he's on the new medication they prescribe, if you can get the consultant on-side.
K

 

[Spamar]

Out of the blue DVLA stopped OH from driving. He was furious, and I was annoyed. I had been out with him the week before and his driving was fine. Getting lost was his problem!
He did the assessment. They start off on a rig, a pretend car. He failed because, they said, he didn't put his foot on the brake hard enough. But he was on his rig, not in his little pick up, which he loved with a passion!
I wasn't allowed to sell the pickup for a year, it was very handy for going to the dump! However, within three months of him finally ceasing to drive, I reckon the decision was right. Though whether that was because he was so annoyed with DVLA or downturn of dementia I don't know!

 

[john51]

Following diagnosis I informed DVLA as required. Although I wasn't offered an assessment they obtained medical evidence before making their decision. It's never arbitrary and is to provide safety both for the sufferer and those they may injure

 

[jaymor]

We advised the dvla when my husband was diagnosed. We were advised by his consultant that we had to.

His licence was taken from him and replaced with an annual one. Once a year he was tested and his licence was renewed for another 12 months. He drove for 4 years post diagnosis and then it was the right time for him to stop. I was thankful that it was not me who had to say it was time.

 

[LoisJean]

Sparky: {"The DVLA told me that Dad has to offer his license back to them, surrender it. Which he's not likely to do, because he isn't aware of his condition. They told me he could ask them for a driving assessment, which to be honest I wouldn't want him to go through if he's not likely to pass it anyway. What am I supposed to do? People have advised me to sell his car. He's not that far into his dementia so I cannot do that without him agreeing with me! We have an appointment with a doctor at the memory clinic in a couple of weeks, so I'm hoping we can get clarification from the doctor."}



I have vascular dementia. Sometimes I can't remember what I had for breakfast an hour after I ate it, and sometimes I have to stand in front of something and don't have a clue as to what I'm supposed to do with it. Things like this happen as a regular course during my days at home. I live alone..(well, there is Pearl, my cat, but really my conversations are mostly with the tv

However, I have a car and I have keys and I drive. I drive without any problem. I thank God that my 'little gray cells' still know the difference between a bowl of Cheerios and a stop light I admit that I am more cautious when driving because I am acutely aware of the cognitive declines I'm experiencing at home. I am also aware that a slower reaction time is a natural process of anyone's aging. I am also acutely aware that this is truly no laughing matter.

(I had a personal opinion here but I deleted it because it seemed cheeky --a newly discovered talent, compliments of VaD)


Sparky, I'm hoping you will talk with your dad about his condition and your concerns about him NOW.. regardless of his reaction, ( or perhaps your fear of his reaction). The memory clinic can confirm the medical part when he goes there..not sure if I'm correct on that..and as you can see, there is wonderful support for you here.

Speaking from personal experience, 6 weeks in the hospital can create delirium and depression, ( they come as a pair), in people who truly do not have dementia, and if the disease of dementia is added to that mix it becomes debilitating. For me, the delirium, caused by IV corticosteroids, lasted well over a month until, with the help of people who knew what was happening to me, I was helped out of it, leaving me with an even greater slippage of cognitive abilities. I am wondering if your dad needs a chance to regain his footing, so to speak?
I know every situation is different..Im just laying out my thoughts.

Peace and that in abundance to us all..Lois Jean

 

[DMac]

I've been faced with a similar situation before. There's lots of help on this forum if you have a dig around.

In your case, I would go with Kevinl's suggestion of some kind of subterfuge, just to stop Dad driving temporarily and to buy you some time. In my case, I disconnected a battery lead. My mum-in-law was not capable of phoning her breakdown company or a garage to get it fixed, thankfully.

Then tell his GP, his motor insurance company and the DVLA about your concerns, in writing (you can e-mail DVLA). They won't respond to you, but they will take your views into account. Your identity will not be revealed to him. This will start the process for getting his licence revoked, via the option of a driving assessment. In my case, it took about 3 months (Mum-in-law didn't take the assessment).

Once that's achieved, hopefully your dad will accept the situation. Please, do remove the vehicle at that stage, as there may be a risk he will forget he isn't allowed to drive! Six months down the line, my mum-in-law still doesn't accept that she can't drive, and thinks her daughter has taken her car away. (So that's me off the hook then! )

Here's a link to just one previous discussion about this topic.

http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?88957-Driving

I hope this helps, and good luck.