When seniors no longer drive

alzheimers-s9-older-woman-steeringI remember when my father in law, Danny, bought his last car. Recently retired, he splurged on a new Lincoln Town Car that was far fancier than any car he’d owned in the past. He drove it around town with such pride. He and his wife, Mary, took that car to countless Irish events, to the racetrack and to visit their kids and grandkids. In the third year of owning the car, Danny had his first accident, a year later his second and six months later his third. His neighbors called the police after the third, and he was summoned to court. Not long after receiving the summons, Danny was diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer’s. By agreeing to give up driving, my father-in-law was able to avoid paying the fine. The car sat in the driveway for months. My mother-in-law didn’t drive, either. While Mary made do with the senior citizens bus for grocery shopping, Danny and Mary’s social life became smaller and smaller. No more Irish dancing, card playing or racetrack visits unless a son or a...

RSS

Archive