Signs a Person Living with Dementia May No Longer Be Safe to Drive

Originally posted in the Bambu Care Champions community.

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Signs your partner may no longer be safe to drive.‍

• Getting lost in familiar areas
• Difficulty attending to/adhering to traffic signs
• Incorrect signaling of intent or not signaling at all
• Slow reaction times
• Difficulty judging distance when slowing down, stopping, changing lanes, or making turns
• Hitting curbs
• Confusing the gas and brake pedals
• Blaming their driving difficulties on others on the road
• Unexplained dings to the car
• Car accidents

In my opinion, the only way to really know how your partner is doing on the road is to ride along with them. If you are too afraid to ride with them, then that may be a sign within itself.

Please address any driving concerns with the doctor. Some doctors will order a driving assessment.

When the time comes to take away your partner's keys and/or vehicle. Please do it as sensitively as possible. Cars / driving are big symbols of independence for a lot of people.

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