|
How to get the Alzheimer’s patient off the road... Taking the Keys Away
By: William G. Hammond, J.D.
For most people, driving is a necessity as well as a symbol of independence. There are very few people that will easily give up their independence and give you the keys to their vehicle. Yet for individuals with Alzheimer's disease, driving a vehicle can pose serious risks and endanger themselves or others. The decision of when to stop driving is one that Alzheimer's patients and their families often face.
There are many opinions concerning the issue of driving for the Alzheimer's patient. If he trusts his physician, the doctor may have more success than the primary care giver in letting the patient know when to stop driving. The physician may be trusted by the patient and be able to explain to him that his medical condition may interfere with his driving. This scenario is good for the caregiver as it takes the responsibility off you and puts it on the medical condition, with the physician being the messenger.
Below you will find some guidelines for approaching this sensitive issue with your family and your loved one. Ask your relatives to back you by being pleasantly supportive of your loved one. For a while, make sure he has a ride to familiar frequented places. Routine is so important.
Humor is almost always a positive way to cope with this situation. A fun way of approaching the subject is to tell him how lucky he is to have his own chauffeur!
However, knowing when to take the keys out of his hands can become tricky. Here are some warning signs that will help you make the decision:
- Car accidents
- Stopping in traffic for no apparent reason.
- Getting confused between the brake and the gas pedals
- Getting a ticket for moving violations
- Getting lost when places are familiar
- Getting agitated or irritated when they are driving
- Not anticipating dangerous situations
- Delayed responses to unexpected situations
- Driving at inappropriate speeds
- Incorrect signaling
- Getting confused at exists
- Switching into a wrong lane
If some of the warning signs above are present, then it's time for family members to gather and discuss the problem. Sometimes it is easier to be together to face a difficult decision and intervene at an early stage when signs of impairment are not yet critical
The accident rate for drivers 85 years old and over is nine times higher than drivers between ages 25 and 69. The primary care giver may perform routine exams to assess the ability and skills of the patient and conform to state and local restrictions and laws. If you are concerned about your loved one's driving, take measures to keep him and others safe on the road.
You may find some additional information by finding a specialist in your area and you can contact the Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists (1-800-290-2344), www.driver-ed.org. Your local Department of Motor Vehicles may also be able to help you on this subject.
|
About The Author
William G. Hammond, JD is a nationally known elder law attorney and founder of The Alzheimer’s Resource Center. He is a frequent guest on radio and television and has developed innovative solutions to guide families who have a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s. For more information you can visit his website at http://www.beatalzheimers.com.
|
This article was posted on October 22, 2004
Return to Index
email this
page
Still haven't found what you are
looking for?
Try this search:
Free Email
List Reveals health,
fitness and wellness
tips - secrets and information - delivered directly to
your inbox
How to Benefit from the Mind-Body Connection
(excerpt)
You are about to gain insight into the
mind-body connection. The number of
people who truly understand these principles on our
planet are relatively few.
There is an undeniable connection between our minds and
bodies, you can learn
to use this fact to your benefit.
Dr. Bernie Siegel, author of "Love, Medicine and
Miracles" was once a
distraught cancer surgeon until he
began to understand the greater principles
of the mind-
body connection. He felt dragged down by the artificial
barriers
that existed between patient and doctor, and the
helplessness he often felt as
a result of his inability
to effectively serve those patients. Eventually, those
barriers
were disintegrated by Dr. Siegel's recognition
and growing understanding of the
mind-body connection and
how it could serve his patients and himself.
Dr. Siegel, or Bernie as he began to have his patients
refer to him, had some
startling realizations as a cancer surgeon. He found that
there were actually
quite a few people in the world that successfully beat
the statistics on cancer
survival. He began to recognize that a patient's ability
to defeat something as
serious as cancer had to do with the patient's mind and
attitude about their
disease.
If you would like to see the rest of
this article, please go here:
http://www.tobeinformed.com/repository/mind-body.html
copyright 2004 - David Snape
|