If you have elderly parents, it’s likely that you are all too familiar with the numerous mental and physical conditions they face as they enter their sunset years. One of the most serious is a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or similar dementia-inducing conditions.
Depending on the stage at which the condition was diagnosed, your loved one may or may not still be able to drive a car. Even if they are still able to safely navigate right now, it is an inevitability that the day is coming when they cannot. At some point, the decision must be made for them to cease driving.
Ideally, the person with Alzheimer’s will be the one to make the decision. However, that scenario is often unlikely. One of the hallmarks of dementia is decreased judgment. For adult children or others who may need to step in, the following symptoms can be red alerts for closer monitoring of their driving:
— Memory lapses
— Disorientation, even in familiar places
— Confusion or apparent decline in alertness
— Multi-tasking abilities decline
— Coordination is off
— Frequent irritability
— Difficulties with staying on task, focusing and making decisions
All of the above can affect a person’s ability to safely drive from Point A to Point B. Noticing any one of below dangerous driving behaviors in drivers of any age is cause for them to hang up the keys:
— Blowing through stop signs or red lights
— Driving far below the speed limit or erratically changing speeds
— Confusion about driving directions
— Stopping suddenly in moving traffic
— Decreased ability to park
— Extreme anxiety when turning or changing lanes
— Drifting into lanes of oncoming traffic
Making the decision to step in and take the keys can mean the difference between life and death for your family member or someone else’s.
Those who were injured in accidents with at-fault drivers may pursue compensation with the assistance of a Miami personal injury attorney.
Source: Cheap Car Insurance, “Alzheimer’s And Driving: When And How To Have Difficult Conversations With Loved Ones,” accessed Sep. 08, 2015
