Employment · Living Alone · Driving

Driving

For some of you, one of the most traumatic issues you will have to consider is giving up driving. Although you may be able to drive safely for a time, you will eventually have to turn in your keys. As the disease progresses, your hand-eye coordination suffers, your perception changes and your reaction time becomes slower. Continuing to drive puts not only you but other people at risk as well. You may have been a great driver all your life and you may never have had an accident or even gotten a ticket, but you now have dementia and that makes a difference!

Some of the warning signs that your driving may no longer be safe for yourself or others are:

	Incorrect signaling
	Confusing the brake and gas pedals
	Trouble navigating turns
	Driving at inappropriate speeds
	Frequently hitting curbs
	Scrapes or dents on a car, garage, or mailbox
	Confusion at exits
	Getting lost going to familiar places
	Riding on the wrong side of the road
	Failing to stop at red lights or stop signs

Because there is no definitive test to determine when a driver with early dementia is unsafe, family members or friends are often in the best position to detect changes in your driving. Although it may be hard to hear and accept what they have to say at times, their primary concern is for your safety and the safety of others. Talking openly at this early stage will help everyone to plan for that time when you’re no longer able to drive. “At the Crossroads: Family Conversations about Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia & Driving” is a helpful guide that provides suggestions for monitoring, limiting and eventually stopping driving. For more information about how to obtain this guide, click here. In the meantime, if you have received a diagnosis and are still driving it’s probably a good idea to take a driver’s test each year to make sure that you are still a responsible safe driver.

Care Partner Tip

For most people, driving represents independence and freedom. Try to imagine what your life would be like if you were told you could no longer drive. It’s a very personal and emotional issue. Talk openly about your concerns and encourage the person you’re caring for to do the same, knowing that it’s not an easy situation to resolve. To learn more about this issue, click here.

Employment · Living Alone · Driving

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