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Weeone Asked May 2015

Our son has absolute POA for both of us. Does this give him the right to take away my husband's car keys?

ASusan48 May 2015
FF, thanks for posting that - it's hard for us to follow various threads sometimes. Weeone, I agree, we need to know if this is something you *want* to happen (as indicated in your previous thread) or if you're not wanting your son to do that.

Either way, a POA is entitled to make decisions on behalf of your husband - but taking keys away is kind of a gray area. A POA makes decisions on finances, health matters, etc. I would definitely do as others have suggested - get your husband tested at a driving facility. If he has Alzheimers, as you mentioned before, his cognitive ability may be impaired enough to make his driving dangerous. As Jeannegibbs said, his getting lost is not the only concern here. He could hurt or kill himself or someone else.

freqflyer May 2015
Weeone, do you want your son to take away the keys from his Dad? From this previous posting of yours sounds like maybe that is your family's wish. https://www.agingcare.com/questions/how-to-stop-alzheimers-person-from-driving-178507.htm

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xxxxxxxx May 2015
I think that would be stretching the duties of POA, that's more along the lines of guardianship. However, if he has determined that Dad is a danger to himself and the community and has a backup transportation plan in effect, then I'd let him be the one to handle it. I'm sure it wasn't a decision made lightly.

Loss of independence and especially the driving ability is the worst part of getting old. And, barring an early death, we are ALL going to get old. No one is immune. So, while we are on one side of this situation now, we are all going to be on the other side one day. Unfortunately, some do not give up easily, so that it becomes a battle.

Be glad that your son loves YOU enough to protect you. And he loves his father enough to protect him and the citizens of your town.

jeannegibbs May 2015
Probably not, technically, but if your husband has dementia he probably should not be driving. If I were you I'd let my son be the bad guy under his POA role.

If your husband's dementia is very mild and you think he can still drive safely, offer to have him tested by a facility set up to evaluate handicapped persons. Even if they determine that he is currently safe keep in mind that this could change at any time.

Sometimes people think, "Oh the worst that could happen is he'd get lost." No. The worst that could happen is that he uses poor judgment in an emergency and someone dies as a result.

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