This can be one of the most difficult activities that your loved one with the disease will have to give up. Driving means independence. However, there are so many things that can go wrong very quickly as your loved one’s cognitive abilities and reactions decrease. Unfortunately, the decline can lead to major injury for your loved ones and others that are on the road. The following are some of the problems that will begin to occur with respect to driving:
- Having accidents or near misses
- Failing to observe traffic signals
- Delayed and slow reflexes resulting in slow or poor decisions
- Driving at inappropriate speeds
- Getting traffic tickets
- Forgetting how to get to their destination
- Places that were once familiar are no longer unfamiliar
- Becoming confused and angry
There are some people that will voluntarily give up driving because they become scared when they get lost. However, many people will refuse to give up driving once it becomes necessary. Below are some suggestions that can work to limit and give up driving:
- Have the doctor write a “do not drive” prescription
- Disable the car by removing the distributor cap or battery
- Park the car at a neighbor or family member’s home
- Substitute the person’s driver’s license with a photo identification card (do this in addition to disabling or removing the car)