Can someone with dementia drive a car?

Cindy Laverty's advice is all well and good, but in the real world many of those with early stage dementia are still allowed to drive by their children and spouses . While I don't think we have any specific research data on it, no doubt these drivers sometimes have accidents that result in injury or loss of lives. Yes, the children and other relatives should confront the Alzheimer sufferer and do something more when their loved one refuses to cooperate.. When there is no responsible relative on the scene even friends and neighbors need to take action when they notice such impairment.
I previously lived in a senior housing facility where the majority of the residents drove their own cars. Since the average age was in the low 80's, many were in the earlier stages of dementia. And yes, many of these people still drove their cars!

In my opinion, this issue is a problem of national significance. There are so many adult children out there grappling with this issue.....facing the reality that they perceive that their elder should no longer be driving, but having difficulty managing the process of getting the elder to give up driving. For me the acid test of knowing it was time, was I could not imagine putting my own children in the car with this elder at the wheel.

In Louisville, one of the major rehab centers does a driver evaluation specifically tailored to older drivers. It then comes up with suggestions, such as not driving at night, not making left turns, not going on highways, etc. It is usually easier to get someone to this because they are often beginning to be self limiting anyway.

When my father was in the early stages of dementia we were able to talk to him about his driving from a legal standpoint. He was still very concerned about my mother's welfare and my husband (a lawyer) explained that if my father were to cause an accident that hurt someone else or their property it could be seen as negligence and that they could be sued, thus depriving my mother of the means to live well in her old age. He was always an honorable man and responded by giving up driving with no argument.

I've seen people driving like maniacs through the streets of NY; raging and cussing all over the place. That's demented to me. So is yapping on the cellphone with one hand on the wheel, texting, or driving without insurance.

Does obey the rules of the road? Is she driving on the sidewalks, lighting a cigarette at the gas pump, burning rubber, or trying out for the Indy 500? Does she forget her medication often and therefore poses a danger to herself and others RIGHT NOW?

If the answer is no, I'd still keep an eye out for her safety. But I certainly wouldn't deprive her of the little freedom she has left.

-- ED

Sorry for the "senior moment," but I should have referred to all genders in my comment. If any of you ladies felt offended, it wasn't intentional. I kept having flashbacks about my MIL behind the wheel. She's been evaluated several times and diagnosed as "sane." Whether the light is red, yellow, or green to her they all means GO ... fast. A ride with her will age you. The little firecracker (or Tasmanian devil) claims driving drunk makes her focus on the road and a better driver. Is that demented or what?

Thats a really really hard subject to talk about with a parent especially if they live in rural america with no public transportation or taxi's. I think after the age of 75 every two years like emissions for a car the seniors should have to pass a driving test again.

My family was blessed. Dad, at one time, had been diagnosed with Parkingson. The doctor said if he was in an accident, the injured party could sue us and take our family homesteaded farm from us. Although my Dad ocassionally makes a snide remark, he gave up driving with no problems. We still let him drive on the farm, but on no roads. So glad we did not have to take his keys away from him.

My mom just passed her driving test after three failures. It is very discouraging as she is a terrible driver (runs through stop signs, etc.) I worry greatly that she will hurt someone and/or herself. She thinks she is an excellent driver and likes to drive very fast. My sibs and myself live far from her (but have all had the opportunity of the near death experience while riding in a car with her) and aren't in agreement on the seriousness of this situation. How do others handle this situation?

If it were not for the macular degeneration that my mother-in-law has, I believe she could still drive, even with dementia looming. Her only problems with the dementia is her short term memory. Knowing how to drive safely would not be affected by that. She might not be able to remember what she was planning on buying at the store, but she sure could get there safely. So I guess it might depend on the person and exactly what their symptoms are.