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My husband has MCI and did the driving test in March 2023 per doctors recommendation right after the diagnosis. I was so panicked that he would not pass. I prayed and prayed that he would still be able to drive. He did well and passed w restrictions to only drive to familiar places, no inclement weather and no nighttime driving. It was recommended to repeat in 9 months. It is now time and he is putting off another evaluation. He has been ok but his judgement is off and more time confusion etc. This morning he was forgetting the steps in making eggs. He has been having sleep issues and there are more wonky days. Today I suggested he not drive until another evaluation. He is appropriately down and upset with me.
I have to say now I panic thinking he could have a miss and just that could be detrimental to him or someone else. God forbid.
Now I am almost praying he does not pass.
Bad morning but good talk.
This is hard.
Replies to "My husband has MCI and did the driving test in March 2023 per doctors recommendation right..."
Not driving was the most difficult adjustment for my husband with LBD. Even after both PCP & Neurologist told him it wasn’t safe to drive he kept wanting to. It’s been an ongoing issue that comes up periodically. He was removed from our insurance policy so that is the approach I use to remind him. And in general he does not have access to vehicle keys. Only my vehicle had current registration & he has no access to it. We also have an “agreement” about him not driving. At one point he became belligerent & drove away in his pick-up truck. I’d given him the keys to check inside the cab for a misplaced jacket. Up to that time he had been very compliant with our agreement. You just can’t trust a dementia, even if you trust the person. I told him if he drove out of the driveway I would call law enforcement. He did, so I did. Fortunately we are a small town & he is not unknown to them. They have a file with some of his bizarre late-night calls. They found him & followed him home. The Deputy gave him a very respectful lecture about no insurance & no registration & made him give me the vehicle keys. I have since moved that truck to off-site storage that I pay for. The other truck - also not currently registered - has misplaced keys. He left them lying around & I removed them. That truck he just liked to start up & let run to keep the engine in good condition. But he also kept wanting to hook up a battery charger to it 🙄. Believe me it would be hard to find a more difficult situation than an ex-auto mechanic who is an ex-truck driver & former CDL holder. Driving was his life & his passion. It’s taken a lot of different approaches, plenty of time, etc.
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Oh Mary, I feel for you and your husband. It was so difficult for my Mom, but having the evaluator be the final arbiter made it a little less painful, because we could both view him as the "bad guy".
I also remember my Dad stopping his uncle from driving by disabling the car. He was a former mechanic, but couldn't even remember how to open the hood latch. And he was too cheap to pay for a tow truck, so that was it!
Sue