Discussion on warning signs that indicate that it’s time for someone with Alzheimer’s to stop driving and how to approach the subject.

Most of us look forward to travel. We research, plan, and organize the where, what, and how with great enthusiasm. Going somewhere new, exotic, and unfamiliar is seen as a fun adventure.
But for those with Alzheimer’s Disease, the adventure is often not fun. Being in unfamiliar surroundings with unfamiliar people can cause increased stress on those who rely on familiar environmental cues to maintain their reality and equilibrium.
Travel is not out of the question for someone with Alzheimer’s Disease. It’s just that extra planning is needed to help anticipate problems and situations that might cause distress.
Here are some things …read more

            Deciding when to take the keys away from a driver with Alzheimer’s disease often poses a great problem for family members, especially when that person thinks they still drive well.  Or when a spouse or child considers them still a safe driver.
“He only hits the bushes on the side of the road once in awhile,” was a remark made to my husband and me about a family member.  (His keys “disappeared” permanently shortly after that.)
Some older people, like my dad at age 90, recognize they can no longer drive safely…and don’t want to drive.  My dad didn’t have Alzheimer’s, …read more

A group of researchers in the United Kingdom contend that many of those with early stage Alzheimer’s disease are safe to drive providing they are closely monitored.
According to Dr. Desmond O’Neill, who co-wrote the analysis published in the June 20th edition of the British Medical journal, the clinical evidence led them to a conclusion that “…with frequent assessment of driving skills, the risk of accidents among older people with dementias was acceptably low for up to three years after diagnosis.” (Driving and Alzheimer’s)
Want to know more about whether someone with Alzheimer’s should be driving or not? Check out this ‘Practical …read more

WebMD has a collection of short online videos worth checking out. Here’s a few of them:
Motion Blindness and Alzheimer’s Disease
Caregiver Relief
Alzheimer’s Treatment Study
Driving and Dementia

This from NASCAR.com – ‘NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip has partnered with The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation to launch the “Waltrip Challenge“, a nationwide fundraising competition for Alzheimer’s disease research.’
The Waltrip Challenge offers fans the opportunity to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and also raise money for Alzheimer’s research.
Fans can register for the challenge at www.waltripchallenge.com. When registering, they create their own website for fundraising. From there, they can encourage family and friends to donate to the challenge.
So far, over $9800 have been raised.
The fan who raises the most money will win a ‘day at the races’ – …read more

When should you stop a family member from driving if you feel they’re becoming too forgetful and have poor judgment and reaction time?  How does it become evident that dementia or Alzheimer’s is causing someone to be a danger to themselves and others?
These aren’t easy decisions for the family member and the person with signs of dementia. We encountered these problems with my parents and my husband’s father.  (His mother never learned to drive.)  Fortunately my father recognized that he shouldn’t be driving, so stopped of his own accord.
Researchers at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) of the Washington University …read more