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I am thinking of disabling his truck. My husband did not get lost despite his dementia until now. I cannot take away his keys without a big rukus. So I am thinking of having someone come by and disabling his truck. That way he will still have his keys and his truck, but he can go nowhere with it. How have others solved this issue?

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First, we convinced the eye doctor to recommend no night driving. (She does NOT have dementia, even now, she denies it. We have to hide any paperwork that says such, or a pointless meltdown follows.) Then we actually forged a document saying my mothers driving privileges were revoked due to her age. We sympathized with her. we had to show it to her repeatedly for a while. After a while this no longer worked and we sold her car, told her it was in the shop, whatever it took. A few years ago. Now she thinks she should get her license renewed, but we just go along with it until the subject changes. Don't let an incompetent elder drive any more than you would a drunken friend. When she backed out of a parking spot at the grocery store without even glancing, I knew it was time. When she sped away from home at night, upset because my sister didn't answer her phone, to just go see her, and pulled up behind a state police cruiser stopped on the highway, everyone knew it was past time. Amazingly, the DMV did not revoke her driving privileges. We had to handle it ourselves.
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I live in South Florida and there are many people driving here who are no longer capable of driving safely, particularly at night. If he is endangering people's lives by driving, or getting lost and unable to find his way home, he must not drive. Have his car disabled as someone said or simply tell him that he can no longer drive legally and the police insisted that his car be taken away. There are times when you have to put your foot down and this is one of them, even if it will result in loud arguments and even a change in living arrangements. You may be surprised at how understanding he might be if you and his doctor are firm.
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When this became an issue with my dad it was horrible. He was a tough Marine and would NOT give up driving, even when he would get lost or speed through a neighborhood full of kids. My mom and I got the forms filled out by the doctor. We took him to the DMV, they gave him a written test and he missed one too many questions to pass. He argued with the DMV person and that person then PASSED him. He came out holding his NEW license and we almost died. Never have I been so mad. The DMV did not honor the note from the doctor. It was a fight from then on to get him to stop. Finally, he got so bad with dementia we had to put him in a nursing home....and that finally ended the driving.
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Say to your Dad, 'your truck doesn't sound good, you should get it looked at'. When the AAA come to look at the truck, ask them to take the battery out. Leave the keys with your father and he will be no wiser. Just explain to the AAA the reasons why you are doing this, your Dad's safety is paramount. Also, it would be a good idea to inform his doctor of your actions also. All the best.
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First, I think it should be the medical provider's responsibility to report the problem to DMV. My husband's geriatrician told him, "I am very sorry but I am required to report your dementia diagnosis to DMV, and they will revoke your license." She did. They did. And he never drove again. He was angry about it, but not at me, and not at the doctor either, since she was doing what she was "required" to do.

So if I were you I'd try to get the doctor to explain it to your husband and report it to DMV.

But not all medical providers see this as their responsibility. In that case you need to do whatever you can, straightforward or sneaky, to stop him from driving. Getting lost is the absolute least of the worries. A person who can forget where the drugstore is can also forget where the brake pedal is, or that it is necessary to get a good look behind him before backing up. And generally the cognitive skills are worst in an emergency situation.

Whatever you have to do, prevent your husband from driving. He is not merely risking getting lost. He is putting other people's lives in danger.
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My in-laws did the disabling the truck thing. My father in law had brain cancer and could barely walk but he got the truck started, we don't know how. Then he drove away and had a fender bender. They disabled the truck again, for sure this time. If arguing and logic and begging doesn't work, just tell them the car is broken down, and you are waiting for a part to come in.
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My mom had to disable her mother's car.I forget exactly how they did it, I think it had something to do with the ignition, a small part. We just kept telling my grandmother we would get it fixed and just started driving her where she wanted to go. After a while she stopped asking about when the car would be fixed.We faced the same thing, a big "ruckus" and this was actually a more diplomatic way to stop her from driving but it most certainly saved somebody's life and her own, she had had several near misses and we finally decided that the lesser of 2 evils,(lying to her) was the best way to go because at least that way nobody went to the hospital or died.
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I had my dad's Dr. recommend that my dad not drive anymore. This was a Dr. that had been our family Dr. for 2 generations and my dad greatly respected him. This worked when all of my pleading and begging did not.
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He will just call AAA and have them fix it. Your best bet is to go to the DMV and submit the form requesting a driver evaluation. Let them be the bad guys.
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There have been lots of threads on this. Some people have found your solution a good one, others have gone the route of reporting to the DMV or enlisting the help of a trusted physician to deliver the bad news adn take the keys. Disabling the vehicle can backfire if the person is cagey enough to get it serviced or can get help from someone who does not know that the dementia makes driving unsafe.

The other question is whether he is safe to be driving at all, even with a nagivator by his side. A specialized OT behind the wheel evaluation can help answer that too. Besides getting lost, is he also driving erratically or have minor accidents or unexplained dings, dents and scrapes? Someone like that who should have been stopped from driving once hit my son's brand new vehicle and did not even notice that it happened - nothing was severely damanged, but I felt bad he did not know to get the license number and make a report that would have kept others safer on the roads...
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