I know the answer to this question is Yes. My mother drove her car over a concrete abutement, through a hedge, tore the entire side of her car off, and fortunately came to a stop about six inches from her building. The car was totaled. My mother spent the night in the hospital. She was released the next day and the doctor's told me there was nothing wrong with her. This is when I started to worry.
I cannot tell you how many people I have met that are clearly suffering from some form of dementia and are still driving down here in south Florida.
Our good friend Ann had two driving accidents in three months. It was becoming clear to me she was suffering from dementia. I tried to enlighten her children--they ignored me. I meet people often that are lost and asking directions to places they visit frequently. Every time it happens I am stunned--shocked. It makes my heart hurt.
In November I wrote an article about a man that was supposed to drive to Kansas City he ended up in Mexico--
The man in this story was going to Kansas and ended up in Mexico. This comment caught my attention.As the number of person suffering from Alzheimer's increasing due to the aging of population driving is certain to become an issue. An older person will kick and scream before they will allow you to take away their license. Since they have civil rights it might not be easy to get their license revoked.
Sheriff T. Michael O'Connor said family members didn't think his dementia was as serious.I want to make it clear that I am not being critical of this family. The stories of similar situations with Alzheimer's caregivers are common.
New research indicates that doctor's may be able to use cognitive tests to help determine whether a person with Alzheimer's disease is safe behind the wheel and is capable of driving safely. This study found that drivers with Alzheimer's disease committed an average of 42 safety mistakes, or 27 percent more than the drivers without Alzheimer's disease.
I often tell people if I was elected governor of Florida I would try to get legislation passed to recquire persons 80 years of age or older to take a driving test every year. Maybe I am kidding, and maybe I am not.
This new test could be the answer. If it is, this would be a good thing in my opinion.
Alzheimer's Disease -- Advice and Insight
- What’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia?
- 60 Good Reasons to Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading Room
- About the Alzheimer's Reading Room
- Alzheimer's Disease and the Five Stages of Grief
- What is Alzheimer's? What are the Eight Types of Dementia?
- Alzheimer's Disease CareGiving -- Insight and Advice (20 articles)
- Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's Disease (5 Best Self Assessment Tests)
- Alzheimer's World -- Trying to Reconnect with Someone Suffering from Alzheimer's Disease
- Worried About Alzheimer's Disease -- You Should Be
- Does the Combination of Aricept and Namenda Help Slow the Rate of Decline in Alzheimer's Disease Patients
- Alzheimer's Disease Statistics
- Is it Really Alzheimer's Disease or Something Else?
- Ten Symptoms of Early Stage Alzheimer's Disease
- Ten Tips for Communicating with an Alzheimer’s Disease Patients
Bob DeMarco is the Founder of the Alzheimer's Reading Room and an Alzheimer's caregiver. The blog contains more than 2,255 articles with more than 272,100 links on the Internet. Bob resides in Delray Beach, FL.
 The Alzheimer's Action Plan |  The Art of Dementia Care |
Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room
