There are a number of things you can do if the person with dementia refuses to stop driving or if they keep forgetting that they are unfit to drive.
Try to be patient, but firm. Also, don't blame yourself or the person with dementia for the difficult transition. Dementia can impair insight and judgement so the person with dementia may not fully understand that their driving is unsafe. The dementia may also cause mood or personality changes that lead to reactions that seem extreme like very strong anger or despair. To help manage the situation when the person with dementia won't stop driving try these ideas:
See this leading educator in dementia, Teepa Snow, recommend strategies for talking to people with dementia about giving up driving in the first two vidoes.
Here she recommends how to talk to a person with dementia who is reluctant to stop driving.
Source: Teepa Snow
Here she recommends what not to say to a person with dementia who is reluctant to stop driving.
Learn some ideas about what to do when a person with dementia is no longer safe to drive.
Source: www.careblazers.com
See how a family/friend carer handles a person with dementia’s emotional reaction when the conversation about giving up driving does not go well.
Source: Alzheimer's Association
We invite you to take this brief online survey that will help us improve the website.