Taking Away the Car Keys: Four Essential Tips / Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias

If you can successfully leverage tip one in this episode you will have an easy path to taking away the car keys. As caregivers for our husbands, parents, and other loved ones with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia, we both learned that taking away the car keys can be a sensitive and important issue to address. In the beginning stages of dementia, our primary goal is to balance safety with our care receivers' desire for independence. We are Sue Ryan and Nancy Treaster, and through our experiences, we're offering four key tips.

Show Notes

Takeaways

We offer four tips to help you.

Tip 1: Understand Legal and Insurance Considerations

One of the most effective ways to approach the driving issue is to familiarize yourself with the legal and insurance implications in your area. This involves researching local laws and understanding the potential consequences of allowing someone with dementia to continue driving.

Tip 2: Implement Tracking Measures

For those in the early stages of dementia who are still able to drive safely, tracking can provide peace of mind for caregivers while allowing the care receiver to maintain some independence.

Tip 3: Gradual Transition: Riding Along and Taking Over

As dementia progresses, it's helpful to start riding along frequently and gradually take over driving responsibilities.

Tip 4: Removing Driving Completely

Sometimes, for safety reasons, we need to take more decisive action to prevent our loved ones from driving.

Additional Resources Mentioned

• State laws on dementia
• We found this state by state summary online but can’t vouch for the source.  
• https://www.dementiacarecentral.com/caregiverinfo/driving-problems/#state-laws
• Check you state or country law specifically by searching like this i the US “state name law driving with dementia”

These resources contain affiliate links so we may receive a small commission for purchases made at no additional cost to you.

• Tracker for their car
• Apple Airtag here
• Samsung SmartTag - here
• Tracking device for their car with speed detection etc … here
• Tracking device for their person
• Apple Airtag here
• Samsung SmartTag - here
• Shoes AirTag here
• Shoes generic here
• Watch here

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Keywords

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